Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

दुर्लभं जन्म मानुष्यं दुर्लभा काशिकापुरी । उभयोः संगमासाद्य मुक्ता एव न संशयः

Transliteration

durlabhaṃ janma mānuṣyaṃ durlabhā kāśikāpurī | ubhayoḥ saṃgamāsādya muktā eva na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

मनुष्य-जन्म दुर्लभ है और काशिकापुरी भी दुर्लभ है। दोनों का संयोग पा लेने पर मुक्ति निश्चित है—इसमें संशय नहीं।

Word by Word

• दुर्लभम्: rare, difficult to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; Adjective)

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma/Viṣaya (Object/Topic/कर्म/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• मानुष्यम्: human
• मानुष्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; Adjective)

• दुर्लभा: rare
• दुर्लभा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; Adjective)

• काशिकापुरी: the city of Kāśikā (Kāśī)
• काशिकापुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिका + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; Karmadharaya compound)

• उभयोः: of both
• उभयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप (Genitive, Dual; pronominal)

• संगम्: meeting, conjunction
• संगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• आसाद्य: having attained
• आसाद्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); अव्यय-भाव (having reached/obtained)

• मुक्ताः: liberated (ones)
• मुक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्त (कृदन्त; मुच् धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त-विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; past passive participle used adjectivally)

• एव: indeed, certainly
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (Emphatic particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta/Viṣaya (Subject/Topic/कर्ता/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim, aware of the rarity of human birth, arrives at luminous Kāśī; the city is shown as a radiant kṣetra with Viśveśvara’s presence and Gaṅgā’s sanctifying flow, symbolizing the ‘meeting of both’ that assures liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human birth is precious, and reaching Kāśī is equally rare; their union becomes a direct cause for liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśikāpurī—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on the salvific greatness of attaining Kāśī in human life.