Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

विनायज्ञैर्विनादानैर्विना व्रतजपादिभिः । विनातिपुण्यसंभारैः कः काशीं प्राप्तुमीहते

Transliteration

vināyajñairvinādānairvinā vratajapādibhiḥ | vinātipuṇyasaṃbhāraiḥ kaḥ kāśīṃ prāptumīhate

Translation

યજ્ઞ વિના, દાન વિના, વ્રત-જપ આદિ વિના—અને બહુ પুণ્યસંચય વિના—કાશી પ્રાપ્ત કરવાની ઇચ્છા કોણ કરી શકે?

Word by Word

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Prepositional/उपपदसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपपद, वियोगार्थ) ‘without’

• यज्ञैः: sacrifices
• यज्ञैः: Sambandha (Governed by vinā/विना-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; instrumental ‘with sacrifices’ (governed by विना)

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Prepositional/उपपदसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय ‘without’

• दानैः: charitable gifts
• दानैः: Sambandha (Governed by vinā/विना-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; instrumental ‘with gifts/charity’ (governed by विना)

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Prepositional/उपपदसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय ‘without’

• व्रत-जप-आदिभिः: vows, recitations, etc.
• व्रत-जप-आदिभिः: Sambandha (Governed by vinā/विना-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + japa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्व/इतरेतरद्वन्द्व (व्रत + जप + आदि), पुंलिङ्ग (आदि-प्रधान), तृतीया, बहुवचन; instrumental ‘with vows, recitations, etc.’ (governed by विना)

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Prepositional/उपपदसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय ‘without’

• अति-पुण्य-संभारैः: great stores of merit
• अति-पुण्य-संभारैः: Sambandha (Governed by vinā/विना-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ati (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (अत्यधिकः पुण्यसंभारः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; instrumental ‘with great accumulations of merit’ (governed by विना)

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; interrogative pronoun ‘who?’

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘Kāśī’

• प्राप्तुम्: to attain
• प्राप्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु) → prāptum (तुमुन्)
• Form: कृदन्त (तुमुन्-प्रत्यय), infinitive ‘to attain’

• ईहते: strives
• ईहते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: īh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; ‘strives/desires’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a crossroads: one path labeled yajña, another dāna, another vrata-japa; all converge toward a radiant Kāśī gate, implying merit as the key to entry.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Access to great sacred power is linked with prior dharmic merit; one should cultivate puṇya through righteous acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is explicitly presented as a supremely meritorious destination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajña (sacrifice), dāna (charity), vrata (vows), and japa (mantra repetition) are named as sources of puṇya supporting the attainment of Kāśī.