Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

कर्मभूमिं समीहंते सर्वे स्वर्गौकसो द्विज । यत्तत्रार्जितभोक्तारः पदेषूच्चावचेष्वमी

Transliteration

karmabhūmiṃ samīhaṃte sarve svargaukaso dvija | yattatrārjitabhoktāraḥ padeṣūccāvaceṣvamī

Translation

Ô deux-fois-né, tous les habitants du ciel aspirent à la terre de l’action; car c’est là que les êtres acquièrent puis goûtent les fruits, dans des conditions hautes ou basses.

Word by Word

• कर्म-भूमिम्: the land/field of action
• कर्म-भूमिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; समासः: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी) ‘कर्मणः भूमिः’

• समीहन्ते: they desire/seek
• समीहन्ते: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-ईह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपदी — Present indicative, 3rd person, Plural, Ātmanepada

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural

• स्वर्ग-ओकसः: heaven-dwellers
• स्वर्ग-ओकसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; समासः: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी) ‘स्वर्गस्य ओकसः’ = dwellers of heaven

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• यत्: which (fact)
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter pronoun, Nominative, Singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Locative adjunct/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) — indeclinable adverb ‘there/in that (realm)’

• अर्जित-भोक्तारः: enjoyers of what is earned (there)
• अर्जित-भोक्तारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + भोक्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; समासः: तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारय) ‘अर्जिताः (पुण्यादयः) येषां ते भोक्तारः’ / ‘अर्जितं भुङ्क्ते’ भावः

• पदेषु: in positions/states
• पदेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Locative (7th), Plural

• उच्च-अवचेषु: high and low
• उच्च-अवचेषु: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उच्च (प्रातिपदिक) + अवच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Locative, Plural; समासः: द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर) ‘उच्चं च अवचं च’

• अमी: these/those (they)
• अमी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine pronoun, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhārata-varṣa (with Kāśī as focal kṣetra in discourse)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija (explicitly addressed: ‘dvija’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: svargavāsins gaze longingly toward Bhārata depicted as a fertile ‘field’ with pilgrims performing yajña, dāna, and snāna; above, a wheel shows results ripening into higher and lower births.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is the unique arena to perform karma and dharma; even celestial beings value it for earning merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly supports pilgrimage culture: sacred places like Kāśī are part of karma-bhūmi where merit is earned, though not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the teaching motivates dharmic action (tapas, dāna, vrata, tīrtha-yātrā) in the human realm.