Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

दुर्लभं जन्म मानुष्यं दुर्लभा काशिकापुरी । उभयोः संगमासाद्य मुक्ता एव न संशयः

Transliteration

durlabhaṃ janma mānuṣyaṃ durlabhā kāśikāpurī | ubhayoḥ saṃgamāsādya muktā eva na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Rare is human birth, and rare is the city of Kāśikā (Kāśī). When one attains the meeting of both, liberation is assured—of this there is no doubt.

Word by Word

• दुर्लभम्: rare, difficult to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; Adjective)

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma/Viṣaya (Object/Topic/कर्म/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• मानुष्यम्: human
• मानुष्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; Adjective)

• दुर्लभा: rare
• दुर्लभा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; Adjective)

• काशिकापुरी: the city of Kāśikā (Kāśī)
• काशिकापुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिका + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; Karmadharaya compound)

• उभयोः: of both
• उभयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप (Genitive, Dual; pronominal)

• संगम्: meeting, conjunction
• संगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• आसाद्य: having attained
• आसाद्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); अव्यय-भाव (having reached/obtained)

• मुक्ताः: liberated (ones)
• मुक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्त (कृदन्त; मुच् धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त-विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; past passive participle used adjectivally)

• एव: indeed, certainly
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (Emphatic particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta/Viṣaya (Subject/Topic/कर्ता/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim, aware of the rarity of human birth, arrives at luminous Kāśī; the city is shown as a radiant kṣetra with Viśveśvara’s presence and Gaṅgā’s sanctifying flow, symbolizing the ‘meeting of both’ that assures liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human birth is precious, and reaching Kāśī is equally rare; their union becomes a direct cause for liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśikāpurī—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on the salvific greatness of attaining Kāśī in human life.