Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

जन्मांतरसहस्रेषु युंजन्योगी यदाप्नुयात् । तदिहैव परो मोक्षो मरणादधि गम्यते

Transliteration

janmāṃtarasahasreṣu yuṃjanyogī yadāpnuyāt | tadihaiva paro mokṣo maraṇādadhi gamyate

Translation

Cette libération suprême qu’un yogin n’obtiendrait qu’après l’effort de milliers de naissances, ici même elle est atteinte, fût-ce par la mort (en Avimukta).

Word by Word

• जन्मान्तरसहस्रेषु: in thousands of other births
• जन्मान्तरसहस्रेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जन्मान्तराणां सहस्रेषु) (Neuter, Locative, Plural)

• युञ्जन्: practicing (yoga)
• युञ्जन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘युञ्जन्’ = practicing/engaging (Masculine, Nom, Singular)

• योगी: a yogin
• योगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• यत्: what/that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• आप्नुयात्: might attain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Potential/Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person, singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्-निर्देशक (correlative)

• इह: here
• इह: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• परः: supreme
• परः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; मोक्षः इति विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• मोक्षः: liberation
• मोक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• मरणात्: from death
• मरणात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Singular)

• अधि: beyond, over
• अधि: Sambandha (Prepositional/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधि (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय; ‘अधि’ = above/over; अत्र ‘मरणात् अधि’ = beyond death

• गम्यते: is attained
• गम्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद, कर्मणि प्रयोग (Present, 3rd person, singular; passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin’s long path is contrasted with the immediate grace of Avimukta: a dying devotee in Kāśī, serene, with Śiva’s liberating presence implied at the moment of passing.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta
• Mokṣa
• Yogī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Avimukta is exalted as a kṣetra where liberation is made extraordinarily accessible, surpassing even long yogic striving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), especially the salvific power of dying there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the teaching centers on the salvific significance of Kāśī-maraṇa (death in Kāśī/Avimukta).