Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

जाने सत्त्वमया जाताः क्षेत्रस्यास्य निषेवणात् । नीरजस्का वितमसः संसारार्णवपारगाः

Transliteration

jāne sattvamayā jātāḥ kṣetrasyāsya niṣevaṇāt | nīrajaskā vitamasaḥ saṃsārārṇavapāragāḥ

Translation

「我は知っている。このクシェートラに仕え、ここに依り住したことにより、汝らはサットヴァ(sattva)に満たされた。ラジャス(rajas)を離れ、タマス(tamas)を超えて、輪廻（サンサーラ）の大海の彼岸へと渡り着いたのだ。」

Word by Word

• जाने: I know
• जाने: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• सत्त्वमयाः: filled with sattva (purity)
• सत्त्वमयाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्त्व-मय (प्रातिपदिक; सत्त्व + मय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः (सत्त्वेन मयाः = full of sattva)

• जाताः: become/born
• जाताः: Predicate/Complement (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the field (holy place)
• क्षेत्रस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निषेवणात्: from attending/serving (it)
• निषेवणात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नि-सेव् (धातु) + अन (प्रातिपदिक: निषेवण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतौ (cause/source)

• नीरजस्काः: free from rajas (passion)
• नीरजस्काः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-रजस्-क (प्रातिपदिक; निर् + रजस् + क)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (येषां रजः नास्ति)

• वितमसः: free from tamas (darkness)
• वितमसः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-तमस् (प्रातिपदिक; वि + तमस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (येषां तमः विगतम्)

• संसारार्णवपारगाः: having crossed the ocean of saṃsāra
• संसारार्णवपारगाः: Predicate/Complement (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार-अर्णव-पार-ग (प्रातिपदिक; संसार + अर्णव + पार + ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः (संसारार्णवस्य पारं गताः)

Speaker

Śiva (Hara/Bhava)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva explains the inner transformation of pilgrims: their bodies and minds become luminous (sattva), with rajas/tamas depicted as fading shadows; behind them the Gaṅgā and Kāśī temples glow like a spiritual dawn over the ‘ocean of saṃsāra’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī-kṣetra
• Saṃsāra (worldly existence)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with Kāśī—through niṣevaṇa (devout attendance/service)—purifies the mind, elevates sattva, and supports liberation from saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra, praised as a transformative field that purifies the guṇas and leads beyond saṃsāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Niṣevaṇa—regular resorting to, serving, and living in alignment with the sanctity of Kāśī—is implied as the practice.