Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

मुक्तिक्षेत्राणि सर्वाणि यत्संसेव्योदितं फलम् । पंचरात्रात्तदत्रास्तु निषेव्य मणिकर्णिकाम्

Transliteration

muktikṣetrāṇi sarvāṇi yatsaṃsevyoditaṃ phalam | paṃcarātrāttadatrāstu niṣevya maṇikarṇikām

Translation

あらゆる解脱の聖地に参詣することで得られると宣せられた果報も、ここではマニカルニカーに篤く帰依し、五夜のうちに得られますように。

Word by Word

• मुक्तिक्षेत्राणि: holy places of liberation
• मुक्तिक्षेत्राणि: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (मुक्तेः क्षेत्राणि) — “liberation-giving holy fields”

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; विशेषण

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (relative)

• संसेव्य: having visited/served
• संसेव्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + सेव् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष-अव्यय (gerund); “having resorted to/served”

• उदितम्: is declared
• उदितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; “is said/declared”

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन

• पंचरात्रात्: after five nights
• पंचरात्रात्: Kala/Avadhi (Time-limit/काल-अवधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (पञ्च रात्रयः) — “from five nights; after five nights”

• तत्: that (fruit)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (correlative)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक — “here”

• अस्तु: let it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; “let it be”

• निषेव्य: having visited
• निषेव्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + सेव् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्-अव्यय (gerund); “having resorted to/visited”

• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Maṇikarṇikā (ghāṭ/holy spot)
• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्म (object of निषेव्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night at Maṇikarṇikā: lamps flicker along the ghat, the Gaṅgā flows dark and luminous, pilgrims sit in meditation while funeral fires glow in the distance; a Śiva-liṅga shrine stands nearby, suggesting liberation through Śiva’s grace.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Kāśī
• Mukti-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī is exalted as a concentrated gateway to liberation, surpassing many pilgrimage circuits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā (the famed tīrtha/ghāṭ of Kāśī) is explicitly praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devoted resort to Maṇikarṇikā for five nights (pañca-rātra) is recommended.