Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

सांबादित्यस्य माहात्म्यं कथितं ते महामते । यच्छ्रुत्वापि नरो जातु यमलोकं न पश्यति

Transliteration

sāṃbādityasya māhātmyaṃ kathitaṃ te mahāmate | yacchrutvāpi naro jātu yamalokaṃ na paśyati

Translation

Oh magnánimo, te he narrado la grandeza de Sāmbāditya. Quien la escucha no contempla jamás, en ningún tiempo, el mundo de Yama, el reino de la muerte.

Word by Word

• सांबादित्यस्य: of Sāmbāditya
• सांबादित्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांबादित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—सांब + आदित्य (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• माहात्म्यम्: glory; greatness
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• कथितम्: told; narrated
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘कथितम्’ = ‘has been told’

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (6th/4th Gen/Dat), एकवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी (to you) अधिकयुक्ता

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महान् + मति (कर्मधारयः)

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Acc), एकवचन; ‘यत्’ = ‘which/that (thing)’

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having heard’

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जातु: ever; at any time
• जातु: Desha-Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• यमलोकम्: Yama’s world (realm of death)
• यमलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—यमस्य लोकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

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

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāmbāditya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as 'mahāmati' (a wise listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated near a sun-shrine in Kāśī listens to the māhātmya; behind, Yama’s dark city fades while golden solar radiance expands over ghāṭas and temples.

Characters & Entities

• Sāmbāditya
• Yama
• Yamaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing (śravaṇa) of a tīrtha/deity’s māhātmya is itself a Dharma-practice that grants protection from fear of death and Yama’s realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Varanasi) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, specifically the Sāmbāditya-related sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed here; it is a phalaśruti emphasizing merit gained by hearing the māhātmya.