Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

भूरिशः सर्वतीर्थानि मध्य काशि पदेपदे । परं पांचनदः कैश्चिन्महिमानापि कुत्रचित्

Transliteration

bhūriśaḥ sarvatīrthāni madhya kāśi padepade | paraṃ pāṃcanadaḥ kaiścinmahimānāpi kutracit

Translation

Au cœur même de Kāśī, à chaque pas se trouvent d’innombrables tīrthas. Pourtant Pañcanada est suprême : certains disent que sa mahimā n’a d’égal nulle part.

Word by Word

• भूरिशः: abundantly / many
• भूरिशः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूरिशस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (in abundance, greatly)

• सर्वतीर्थानि: all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: सर्वाणि तीर्थानि

• मध्ये: in the middle / within
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• काशि: Kāśī
• काशि: Adhikarana/Apposition (Location name/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (पद्यमर्यादा-हेतोः प्रातिपदिकरूपेण)

• पदेपदे: at every step / everywhere
• पदेपदे: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक) + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव; सप्तमी-बहुवचनार्थे अव्ययवत् (at every step/place)

• परम्: supreme / however
• परम्: Adverbial/Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण/क्रियाविशेषणवत् (supreme/especially)

• पाञ्चनदः: Pāñcanada (the tīrtha)
• पाञ्चनदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाञ्चनद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• कैश्चित्: by some (persons)
• कैश्चित्: Kartr/Agent (कर्ता—implicit speaker group)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रयोग (by some people)

• महिमान: greatness, glory
• महिमान: Karta/Predicate nominal (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अपि: also / even
• अपि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक (also/even)

• कुत्रचित्: somewhere / in some respect
• कुत्रचित्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुत्रचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक अनिश्चित (somewhere)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada (supreme within Kāśī)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic Kāśī vista: innumerable small tīrtha markers along winding lanes and ghats; at the center, Pañcanada shines brighter, drawing pilgrims like a magnet of sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Varanasi)
• Pañcanada Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is saturated with sanctity, yet certain nodes (like Pañcanada) are extolled as exceptionally potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcanada Tīrtha, praised as preeminent among Kāśī’s many tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; it functions as tīrtha-ranking within Kāśī’s sacred map.