Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

स्थिरापायं कायं जननमरणक्लेशनिलयं विहायास्यां काश्यामहहपरिगृह्णीत न कुतः । वपुस्तेजोरूपं स्थिरतरपरानंदसदनं विमूढोऽसौ जंतुः स्फुटितमिवकांम्यं विनिमयन्

Transliteration

sthirāpāyaṃ kāyaṃ jananamaraṇakleśanilayaṃ vihāyāsyāṃ kāśyāmahahaparigṛhṇīta na kutaḥ | vapustejorūpaṃ sthirataraparānaṃdasadanaṃ vimūḍho'sau jaṃtuḥ sphuṭitamivakāṃmyaṃ vinimayan

Translation

ಈ ದೇಹ ಸ್ಥಿರವಲ್ಲ, ನಾಶವಂತ—ಜನನಮರಣದ ಕ್ಲೇಶಗಳ ನಿವಾಸ ಮಾತ್ರ; ಹಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಮನುಷ್ಯ, ಅಯ್ಯೋ, ಇದನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಈ ಕಾಶಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಶ್ರಯ ಏಕೆ ಪಡೆಯುವುದಿಲ್ಲ? ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಜೀವಿಗೆ ತೇಜೋಮಯ ರೂಪ ಲಭಿಸುತ್ತದೆ; ಅದು ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ಸ್ಥಿರವಾದ ಪರಮಾನಂದದ ಸದನ. ಆದರೆ ಮೋಹಗ್ರಸ್ತ ಜೀವಿ, ದೋಷರಹಿತ ರತ್ನವನ್ನು ಬದಲಿಸಿ ಕೇವಲ ಕಾಮ್ಯ ತুচ್ಛವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುವಂತೆ, ಆ ಅಮೂಲ್ಯ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ವಿನಿಮಯ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾನೆ.

Word by Word

• स्थिर-अपायम्: having certain decay / surely perishing
• स्थिर-अपायम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थिर + अपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (कायम्)

• कायम्: body
• कायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• जनन-मरण-क्लेश-निलयम्: abode of birth, death, and suffering
• जनन-मरण-क्लेश-निलयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनन + मरण + क्लेश + निलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (कायम्) विशेषणरूपेण

• विहाय: having abandoned
• विहाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि (उपसर्ग) + हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (gerund), ‘having abandoned’

• अस्याम्: in this
• अस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• अह: alas!
• अह: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अह (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय/उद्गार (interjection)

• अह: alas!
• अह: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अह (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय/उद्गार (interjection)

• परिगृह्णीत: should accept/embrace
• परिगृह्णीत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि (उपसर्ग) + ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परिगृह्णीयात्-आदेशरूपः

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• कुतः: how/whence
• कुतः: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थ-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: whence/how)

• वपुः: body
• वपुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तेजोरूपम्: of the nature of radiance
• तेजोरूपम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तेजस् + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (वपुः)

• स्थिरतर-परानन्द-सदनम्: a dwelling of more stable supreme bliss
• स्थिरतर-परानन्द-सदनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थिरतर + पर + आनन्द + सदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (वपुः)

• विमूढः: deluded
• विमूढः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमूढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (जन्तुः)

• असौ: that (creature)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• जन्तुः: creature
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• स्फुटितम्: broken
• स्फुटितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्फुटित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (काम्यम्)

• इव: as if
• इव: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• काम्यम्: a desirable thing
• काम्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• विनिमयन्: exchanging
• विनिमयन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि (उपसर्ग) + नि (उपसर्ग) + मी (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘exchanging’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśī-khaṇḍa context: Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages / devotees seeking Kāśī’s secret of liberation

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A human figure stands between two ‘bodies’: one frail, cracked, and shadowed (saṃsāra-body), and another radiant, made of light (tejorūpa) arising in Kāśī’s luminous sacred space; a jewel-trade metaphor shown as a flawless gem being exchanged for a trivial object.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Detach from the perishable body and seek the higher, enduring state of supreme bliss promised through refuge in sacred Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), praised as a liberating sacred geography where the being attains a radiant, blissful state.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite (snāna, dāna, japa) is prescribed in this verse; it emphasizes renunciation of bodily attachment and taking refuge/dwelling in Kāśī.