Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

प्रयागादपि तीर्थाग्र्यादविमुक्तं विशिष्यते । यथाविमुक्ते निर्वाणं न तथाक्वाप्यसंशयम्

Transliteration

prayāgādapi tīrthāgryādavimuktaṃ viśiṣyate | yathāvimukte nirvāṇaṃ na tathākvāpyasaṃśayam

Translation

ತೀರ್ಥಾಗ್ರ್ಯವಾದ ಪ್ರಯಾಗಕ್ಕಿಂತಲೂ ಅವಿಮುಕ್ತವು ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ. ಅವಿಮುಕ್ತದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವಂತೆ ನಿರ್ವಾಣವು ಬೇರೆಡೆ ಇಲ್ಲ—ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಶಯವಿಲ್ಲ.

Word by Word

• प्रयागात्: than/from Prayāga
• प्रयागात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान/तुलना

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (even/also)

• तीर्थाग्र्यात्: than the foremost tīrtha
• तीर्थाग्र्यात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha + agrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तीर्थेषु अग्र्यम्)

• अविमुक्तम्: Avimukta (Kāśī)
• अविमुक्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avimukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; स्थाननाम

• विशिष्यते: is distinguished / excels
• विशिष्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-śiṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे/कर्तरि—'excels/is distinguished'

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/just as)

• अविमुक्ते: in Avimukta
• अविमुक्ते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avimukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• निर्वाणम्: nirvāṇa
• निर्वाणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirvāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• तथा: so / in that way
• तथा: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/so)

• क्वापि: anywhere
• क्वापि: Desha (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva + api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (anywhere)

• असंशयम्: without doubt
• असंशयम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: a-saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (indeed/without doubt)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor within the chapter (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Avimukta-Kāśī at sunrise: Gaṅgā ghāṭas, Viśvanātha temple spire, pilgrims bathing; above, Śiva’s subtle presence blessing the city, suggesting nirvāṇa as a luminous stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga (Prayāgraj)
• Avimukta (Kāśī)
• Nirvāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Avimukta is proclaimed the supreme mokṣa-kṣetra, uniquely associated with nirvāṇa beyond even the greatest tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta (the sacred Kāśī-kṣetra of Vārāṇasī), explicitly ranked above Prayāga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the verse is a definitive sthala-māhātmya claim about liberation in Avimukta.