Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

श्रीशैलमुख्याः किंशैलानेह संत्यमलश्रियः । येषां शिखरमात्रादि दर्शनं मुक्तये सताम्

Transliteration

śrīśailamukhyāḥ kiṃśailāneha saṃtyamalaśriyaḥ | yeṣāṃ śikharamātrādi darśanaṃ muktaye satām

Translation

À commencer par Śrīśaila, quelles autres montagnes se trouvent ici, rayonnantes d’une gloire sans tache, dont la seule cime, une fois contemplée, devient cause de délivrance pour les justes ?

Word by Word

• श्रीशैलमुख्याः: chief among (the) Śrīśaila (mountains)
• श्रीशैलमुख्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्री-शैल-मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + शैल + मुख्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (मुख्याः = प्रमुखाः)

• किंशैलान्: what (other) mountains
• किंशैलान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किं-शैल (प्रातिपदिक; किं + शैल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• सन्ति: are / exist
• सन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• अमलश्रियः: of spotless splendor
• अमलश्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमल-श्री (प्रातिपदिक; अमल + श्री)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (शुद्ध-शोभायुक्ताः)

• येषाम्: of whom / whose
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक

• शिखरमात्रादि: (even) just the peak and the like
• शिखरमात्रादि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखर-मात्र-आदि (प्रातिपदिक; शिखर + मात्र + आदि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समाहार/समुदायार्थकं पदम्

• दर्शनम्: the sight / seeing
• दर्शनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; √दृश् (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भाववाचक-नाम (act of seeing)

• मुक्तये: for liberation
• मुक्तये: Sampradana (Recipient/Goal/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे

• सताम्: of the good (people)
• सताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक; √अस् + शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘सत्’ = साधु/सज्जन

Speaker

Narrator voice within Kāśīkhaṇḍa context (traditionally Skanda narrating to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śrīśaila (exemplary giri)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (typical frame; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant sacred mountain range is evoked, led by Śrīśaila; pilgrims and sages gaze upward at a luminous summit whose mere sight is said to free the righteous.

Characters & Entities

• Śrīśaila

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a simple darśana of a truly sacred place can become a gateway to mokṣa when approached with purity and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śrīśaila is explicitly praised as foremost among sacred mountains.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the verse emphasizes the merit of darśana (sacred sight).