Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

अन्यत्र यत्तपस्तप्त्वा श्रेयः स्याच्छरदां शतम् । तदस्तु काश्यां वर्षेण भूमिशय्या व्रतेन हि

Transliteration

anyatra yattapastaptvā śreyaḥ syāccharadāṃ śatam | tadastu kāśyāṃ varṣeṇa bhūmiśayyā vratena hi

Translation

Le bien spirituel qu’ailleurs on obtient en pratiquant l’austérité durant cent automnes, qu’il soit acquis à Kāśī en une année par le vœu de dormir à même le sol.

Word by Word

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb) — “elsewhere”

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (relative pronoun; correlates with तत्)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (object of तप्त्वा)

• तप्त्वा: having performed (austerity)
• तप्त्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); “having performed austerity”

• श्रेयः: the higher good, merit
• श्रेयः: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (predicate nominative)

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; “would be”

• शरदाम्: of years
• शरदाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचन; “of autumns/years”

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; संख्या (numeral)

• तत्: that (result)
• तत्: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (correlative pronoun)

• अस्तु: let it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; “let it be”

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• वर्षेण: by (just) one year
• वर्षेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन; करण/हेतु-भाव

• भूमिशय्या: (by) sleeping on the ground
• भूमिशय्या: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि + शय्या (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भूमेः शय्या) — “bed on the ground”

• व्रतेन: by a vow
• व्रतेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन; साधन/हेतु

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle of emphasis/indeed)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-ascetic in Kāśī sleeps on a simple mat on the earth near a ghat at dawn; behind him rise temple spires and the flowing Gaṅgā, with Śiva’s unseen presence implied by a liṅga and bilva leaves.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Bhūmiśayyā-vrata (ground-sleeping vow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a spiritual accelerator where vows quickly mature into great merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the preeminent kṣetra for austerity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhūmiśayyā-vrata—observing a vow of sleeping on the ground for a year in Kāśī.