Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

नान्यत्किंचित्क्वचिद्दृष्टं ब्रह्महत्यामहौषधम् । राजधानीं परित्यज्य शक्र विश्वेशितुः पराम्

Transliteration

nānyatkiṃcitkvaciddṛṣṭaṃ brahmahatyāmahauṣadham | rājadhānīṃ parityajya śakra viśveśituḥ parām

Translation

Nulle part on n’a vu d’autre grand remède au péché du meurtre d’un brahmane. C’est pourquoi, ô Śakra, quitte ta capitale et va vers la cité suprême de Viśveśa.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• anyat: other (anything else)
• anyat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• kiṃcit: anything
• kiṃcit: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); अनिश्चितार्थक (indefinite)

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

• dṛṣṭam: seen/found
• dṛṣṭam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle) ‘दृष्ट’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• brahmahatyā-mahauṣadham: great remedy for brahmahatyā
• brahmahatyā-mahauṣadham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmahatyā-mahā-oṣadha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः—‘ब्रह्महत्यायाः महौषधम्’ (a great medicine for brahmahatyā)

• rājadhānīm: the capital city
• rājadhānīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājadhānī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• parityajya: having abandoned
• parityajya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pari-tyaj (त्यज् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) ‘परित्यज्य’

• śakra: O Śakra (Indra)
• śakra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• viśveśituḥ: of the Lord of the universe (Viśveśa)
• viśveśituḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśveśitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• parām: supreme/excellent
• parām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘rājadhānīm’ इति विशेषण

Speaker

Bṛhaspati

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Viśveśa-purī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Śakra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bṛhaspati declares Kāśī the only ‘great medicine’ for brahmahatyā; Indra is shown turning away from Amarāvatī toward the luminous Śiva-city.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Indra (Śakra)
• Brahmahatyā
• Viśveśa (Śiva)
• Kāśī (implied as Viśveśa’s city)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

For certain heavy karmas, the Purāṇic tradition elevates sacred place-refuge (kṣetra-śaraṇāgati) as uniquely powerful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, described as the supreme city belonging to Viśveśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Leaving one’s ordinary seat of power and going to Kāśī; no further rite is specified in this verse.