Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

लोपामुद्रे न सा मुद्रा कापीह जगतीतले । वाराणस्याः प्रदृश्येत तत्कर्ता न यतो विधिः

Transliteration

lopāmudre na sā mudrā kāpīha jagatītale | vārāṇasyāḥ pradṛśyeta tatkartā na yato vidhiḥ

Translation

Ô Lopāmudrā, sur la terre entière on ne voit nulle mudrā semblable à celle-ci : c’est le signe même de Vārāṇasī, car aucune règle ordinaire ni aucun faiseur ne l’aurait façonnée.

Word by Word

• lopāmudre: O Lopāmudrā
• lopāmudre: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lopāmudrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन-प्रयोग (vocative address)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• sā: she/that (woman)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• mudrā: Mudrā (name/gesture)
• mudrā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mudrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• kā: what?
• kā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम (interrogative)

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• jagatī-tale: on the surface of the earth
• jagatī-tale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagatī + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जगत्याः तलम्)

• vārāṇasyāḥ: of Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• pradṛśyeta: would appear / be seen
• pradṛśyeta: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√dṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे-प्रयोग (passive sense: 'would be seen/appear')

• tat-kartā: its maker/agent
• tat-kartā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तस्य कर्ता)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• yataḥ: because
• yataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (indeclinable: 'because/from which')

• vidhiḥ: rule/ordinance; (proper) procedure
• vidhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Characters & Entities

• Lopāmudrā
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as divinely distinguished—its signs are not products of ordinary human arrangement, but of sacred destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), praised as uniquely marked among places on earth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is given here; the verse establishes Kāśī’s exceptional sanctity as a foundation for later practices.