Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

न स्वः पुरी सा त्वनया पुरासमं समंजसापि प्रतिसाम्यमावहेत । प्रबंधभेदाद्व्यतिरिक्तपुस्तकप्रतिर्यथा सल्लिपिभेदभंगतः

Transliteration

na svaḥ purī sā tvanayā purāsamaṃ samaṃjasāpi pratisāmyamāvaheta | prabaṃdhabhedādvyatiriktapustakapratiryathā sallipibhedabhaṃgataḥ

Translation

Kota surga itu pun tidak dapat, bahkan secara wajar, menyamai kota purba ini. Sebab sebagaimana salinan dari kitab lain takkan setara dengan naskah asli karena beda susunan dan ragam aksara yang halus, demikian pula halnya di sini.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• स्वः: heaven
• स्वः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वः (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अव्ययवत् प्रयुक्तम् (heaven)

• पुरी: city
• पुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सा: that (she/it)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• अनया: by this (one)
• अनया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly)

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• समञ्जसा: by propriety/fitness
• समञ्जसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समञ्जस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; साधन/उपायार्थे

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

• प्रतिसाम्यम्: counter-equality/complete parity
• प्रतिसाम्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति + साम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• आवहेत: would bring/produce
• आवहेत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + वह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• प्रबन्ध-भेदात्: from difference in arrangement
• प्रबन्ध-भेदात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रबन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (from/owing to difference of arrangement)

• व्यतिरिक्त-पुस्तक-प्रतिः: a separate copy of a book
• व्यतिरिक्त-पुस्तक-प्रतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यतिरिक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + पुस्तक (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपमानपद (a copy distinct from the book)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानार्थक-अव्यय (as/just as)

• सत्-लिपि-भेद-भङ्गतः: because of distortion due to differences in (correct) script
• सत्-लिपि-भेद-भङ्गतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + लिपि (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक) + भङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (due to breaking/variation of correct script-differences)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A poetic comparison tableau: radiant Kāśī as an ancient, living ‘original manuscript’ while a distant celestial city appears as a beautiful yet secondary ‘copy’; scribes, palm-leaf folios, and differing scripts symbolize incommensurability.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (implied)
• Svarga (heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is unique and non-transferable; it is not merely ‘like heaven’ but beyond comparison.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the primordial and unsurpassed sacred city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse serves as a doctrinal praise (māhātmya) establishing Kāśī’s supremacy.