Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

किंचिन्नियममालंब्य यदि सा परिषेविता । कामान्पूरयति क्षिप्रं काशी संदेहहारिणी

Transliteration

kiṃcinniyamamālaṃbya yadi sā pariṣevitā | kāmānpūrayati kṣipraṃ kāśī saṃdehahāriṇī

Translation

Si on la sert en s’appuyant ne fût-ce que sur une légère discipline et observance, Kāśī—celle qui dissipe les doutes—accomplit promptement les désirs légitimes.

Word by Word

• किञ्चित्: some/a little
• किञ्चित्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; अनिश्चितपरिमाणवाचक (indefinite)

• नियमम्: a rule/observance
• नियमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आलम्ब्य: having adopted/observed
• आलम्ब्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + लम्ब् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘having taken/observed’

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तबोधक (conditional conjunction)

• सा: she/that (Kāśī)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• परिषेविता: served/attended
• परिषेविता: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + सेव् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘served/attended’

• कामान्: desires
• कामान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पूरयति: fulfills
• पूरयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूर् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• क्षिप्रम्: quickly
• क्षिप्रम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षिप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणवत् अव्यय (adverb)

• काशी: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• काशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संदेहहारिणी: remover of doubt
• संदेहहारिणी: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संदेह (प्रातिपदिक) + हारिणी (हृ धातु से ‘हारिन्’ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (संदेहं हरति या)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in simple observance—clean cloth, controlled senses—offering at a Kāśī shrine; a mist of doubt disperses like smoke, revealing clear light over the city-ghāṭs.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Devī (Kāśī/tīrtha-devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even modest self-discipline joined with devotion in Kāśī yields swift, divinely ordered results and inner clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as a doubt-dispelling sacred field that grants fruits to disciplined devotees.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Adopting niyama (observances) while performing pariṣeva/arcana—devotional service and worship.