Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

कियंति संति तीर्थानि नेह क्षोणीतलेऽखिले । परं काशीरजोमात्र तुलासाम्यं क्व तेष्वपि

Transliteration

kiyaṃti saṃti tīrthāni neha kṣoṇītale'khile | paraṃ kāśīrajomātra tulāsāmyaṃ kva teṣvapi

Translation

Combien de tīrthas existent ici sur toute la surface de la terre ! Et pourtant, où donc parmi eux trouverait-on, fût-ce sur la balance, une mesure égale à un simple grain de poussière de Kāśī ?

Word by Word

• कियन्ति: how many
• कियन्ति: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कियत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण (pronominal adjective), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सन्ति: are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (अस्ति) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb: here)

• क्षोणीतले: on the surface of the earth
• क्षोणीतले: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षोणी + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग — समासः: क्षोण्याः तलम्

• अखिले: entire
• अखिले: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• परम्: but/rather
• परम्: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial use: but/rather/only)

• काशीरजोमात्र: a mere speck of Kāśī’s dust
• काशीरजोमात्र: Visheshya (Topic/subject of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी + रजस् + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन — समासः: काश्याः रजः, तस्य मात्रम् (only a speck of Kāśī’s dust)

• तुलासाम्यम्: equality in weight/comparison
• तुलासाम्यम्: Karma (Object/that being sought)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला + साम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन — समासः: तुलायाः साम्यम् (equality on a scale)

• क्व: where (is it?)
• क्व: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb: where/how)

• तेषु: among them
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/among)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कारक अव्यय (even)

Speaker

Agastya (deduced; addressing Skanda/Ṣaṇmukha context continues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-rajaḥ (dust of Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śikhiratha (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic balance scale: on one pan lies countless tīrthas of the earth; on the other, a single speck of Kāśī dust—yet the dust outweighs all, radiating Śiva’s presence.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity surpasses even the collective glory of countless tīrthas; its very dust is incomparable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), exalted as superior to all other tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse uses sacred ‘dust of Kāśī’ as a marker of extraordinary puṇya.