Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

अष्टांगयोगाभ्यासेन यत्पुण्यमपि जायतेः । तत्पुण्यं साधिकं भूयाच्छ्रद्धाकाशीनिषेवणात्

Transliteration

aṣṭāṃgayogābhyāsena yatpuṇyamapi jāyateḥ | tatpuṇyaṃ sādhikaṃ bhūyācchraddhākāśīniṣevaṇāt

Translation

अष्टांगयोग के अभ्यास से जो पुण्य प्राप्त होता है, वह पुण्य श्रद्धापूर्वक काशी का सेवन और निवास करने से और भी अधिक हो जाए।

Word by Word

• अष्टाङ्गयोगाभ्यासेन: by the practice of eight-limbed yoga
• अष्टाङ्गयोगाभ्यासेन: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टाङ्ग + योग + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (instr sg); अष्टाङ्गस्य योगस्य अभ्यासेन = 'by practice of eight-limbed yoga'

• यत्: which (merit)
• यत्: Karma/Pratipadyam (Correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (rel. pronoun)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक (particle: 'even')

• जायते: arises
• जायते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (3rd sg: 'arises/is produced')

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Demonstrative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta/Pratipadyam (Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• साधिकम्: greater (with an addition)
• साधिकम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साधिक (प्रातिपदिक; स + अधिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (neut nom/acc sg; 'with something extra')

• भूयात्: should be
• भूयात्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd sg: 'should become/be')

• श्रद्धाकाशीनिषेवणात्: from devoted resorting to Kāśī
• श्रद्धाकाशीनिषेवणात्: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा + काशी + निषेवण (प्रातिपदिक; नि√सेव् + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (abl sg); श्रद्धया काश्याः निषेवणात् = 'from devoted resorting to Kāśī'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin in aṣṭāṅga posture fades into the background while a humble devotee sweeps a temple courtyard and offers water/flowers to Śiva in Kāśī; the devotee is bathed in stronger divine light.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Aṣṭāṅga Yoga
• Śraddhā (faith)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Place plus faith intensifies practice—Kāśī is depicted as a kṣetra where yoga’s merit increases.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), approached with śraddhā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a single rite; it commends faithful resort to Kāśī as spiritually potent alongside yogic discipline.