Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

वरं काशीपुरीवासी म्लेच्छोपि हि शुभायतिः । नान्यत्रत्यो दीक्षितोपि स हि मुक्तेरभाजनम्

Transliteration

varaṃ kāśīpurīvāsī mlecchopi hi śubhāyatiḥ | nānyatratyo dīkṣitopi sa hi mukterabhājanam

Translation

કાશીપુરિમાં વસતો મ્લેચ્છ પણ શ્રેષ્ઠ છે, કારણ કે તે શુભ બને છે; પરંતુ અન્યત્ર દીક્ષા લીધેલો પણ (તુલનામાં) મુક્તિનો સાચો પાત્ર નથી।

Word by Word

• varam: better
• varam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (adverbial 'better')

• kāśī-purī-vāsī: a resident of Kāśī city
• kāśī-purī-vāsī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक) + purī (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsī (वस् धातु, णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• mlecchaḥ: a foreigner/barbarian
• mlecchaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mleccha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: particle (even)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle: 'indeed/for')

• śubhāyatiḥ: becomes auspicious; prospers
• śubhāyatiḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śubhāyati (शुभायति धातु/denominative from śubha)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• anyatratyaḥ: one belonging to another place
• anyatratyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anyatratya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• dīkṣitaḥ: initiated
• dīkṣitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīkṣita (दिक्ष्/दीक्ष् धातु, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) विशेषण

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: particle (even)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (indeed)

• mukteḥ: of liberation
• mukteḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• abhājanam: not a receptacle; unfit (recipient)
• abhājanam: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhājana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative typically Skanda to Agastya)

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• mleccha
• dīkṣā (initiation)
• mukti (liberation)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is portrayed as transformative beyond social identity, emphasizing place-based grace (sthāna-prabhāva) as a path toward auspiciousness and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśīpurī (Vārāṇasī), upheld as a foremost mokṣa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dīkṣā is referenced but not prescribed; the verse stresses that mere initiation elsewhere is inferior to the liberating potency associated with Kāśī-residence.