Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

पापमेव हि कर्तव्यं मतिरस्ति यदीदृशी । सुखेनान्यत्र कर्तव्यं मही ह्यस्ति महीयसी

Transliteration

pāpameva hi kartavyaṃ matirasti yadīdṛśī | sukhenānyatra kartavyaṃ mahī hyasti mahīyasī

Translation

ആർക്കെങ്കിലും മനസ്സ് സത്യമായി പാപം ചെയ്യാനേ ചായുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, ആ പാപം മറ്റെവിടെയെങ്കിലും സുഖമായി ചെയ്തോളൂ—ഭൂമി അത്യന്തം വിശാലമാണ്. (പക്ഷേ കാശിയിൽ അല്ല.)

Word by Word

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• eva: only; indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण-निपात (restrictive particle)

• hi: for; indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, हेत्वर्थ-निपात (causal/emphatic particle)

• kartavyam: should be done
• kartavyam: Vidheya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + tavya (तव्यत् प्रत्यय) → kartavya (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• matiḥ: mind; intention
• matiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• asti: is
• asti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, शर्तार्थक अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• īdṛśī: such (of this kind)
• īdṛśī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īdṛś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (matiḥ)

• sukhena: easily; with ease
• sukhena: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (adverbial instrumental)

• anyatra: elsewhere
• anyatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (elsewhere)

• kartavyam: should be done
• kartavyam: Vidheya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + tavya (तव्यत् प्रत्यय) → kartavya (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• mahī: earth; land
• mahī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात

• asti: exists; is
• asti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mahīyasī: greater; more excellent
• mahīyasī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahīyas (प्रातिपदिक; तुलनात्मक/तरप्-भाव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (mahī)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-like voice points beyond the city: the vast earth lies open for the misguided, but Kāśī is marked off as a sanctum to be kept unsullied—pilgrims at the city boundary choosing restraint over impulse.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place is to be protected by right conduct; Kāśī is not to be treated as a venue for wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), implied as uniquely sacred and therefore morally guarded.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is stated; the verse gives a practical ethical directive: do not commit sin in Kāśī.