Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

आनंदकानने शंभोः किं किं केन न लभ्यते । यत्र वासकृतां पुंसां धर्मराशिः पदेपदे

Transliteration

ānaṃdakānane śaṃbhoḥ kiṃ kiṃ kena na labhyate | yatra vāsakṛtāṃ puṃsāṃ dharmarāśiḥ padepade

Translation

Dans l’Ānandakānana de Śambhu, qu’est-ce qui ne peut être obtenu, et par qui ? Pour ceux qui n’y font que demeurer, à chaque pas s’amoncellent des monceaux de dharma.

Word by Word

• आनन्द-कानने: in the forest of bliss
• आनन्द-कानने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (आनन्दस्य काननम्)

• शंभोः: of Śambhu
• शंभोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• किम्: what (at all)
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-प्रश्नार्थक (emphatic)

• केन: by whom/with what
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

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

• लभ्यते: is obtained
• लभ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive sense: ‘is obtained’)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• वास-कृताम्: of those who have taken residence
• वास-कृताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वास (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle) ‘कृत’ with उपपद ‘वास’ = वासकृत (one who has made residence)

• पुंसाम्: of men/people
• पुंसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस्/पुम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• धर्म-राशिः: a heap/abundance of merit
• धर्म-राशिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + राशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (धर्माणां राशिः)

• पदे-पदे: at every step
• पदे-पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; सप्तमी-द्विवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् (at every step)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandakānana (within Kāśī/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A verdant sacred grove within Kāśī—Ānandakānana—filled with Śiva shrines, pilgrims walking barefoot; each footprint blossoms into lotus-like symbols of dharma, suggesting merit at every step.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Ānandakānana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a uniquely meritorious realm where living there itself generates dharma continuously.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānandakānana—Śiva’s blissful sacred grove/region identified with Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Residence in the sacred क्षेत्र (vāsa in Kāśī/Ānandakānana) is implied as a powerful dharmic practice.