Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

एतानि यानि प्रोक्तानि काशीप्राप्तिकराणि च । प्राप्य काशीं भवेन्मुक्तो जंतुर्नान्यत्रकुत्रचित्

Transliteration

etāni yāni proktāni kāśīprāptikarāṇi ca | prāpya kāśīṃ bhavenmukto jaṃturnānyatrakutracit

Translation

കാശീപ്രാപ്തി വരുത്തുന്നവയായി പറഞ്ഞിട്ടുള്ള ഈ മാർഗങ്ങൾകൊണ്ട് കാശിയെ പ്രാപിച്ചാൽ ജീവൻ മുക്തനാകും; മറ്റെവിടെയും, യാതൊരു സ്ഥലത്തും, അങ്ങനെ അല്ല।

Word by Word

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• यानि: which
• यानि: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम

• प्रोक्तानि: said, declared
• प्रोक्तानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (एतानि/यानि)

• काशीप्राप्तिकराणि: causing attainment of Kāśī
• काशीप्राप्तिकराणि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राप्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (काश्याः प्राप्तेः कराणि = काशीप्राप्तिं कुर्वन्ति) विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु) → प्राप्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; पूर्वक्रिया (having attained)

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मुक्तः: liberated
• मुक्तः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (जन्तुः)

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

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक (not)

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (elsewhere)

• कुत्रचित्: anywhere (at all)
• कुत्रचित्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुत्रचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चित-देशवाचक (anywhere at all)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims approaching Kāśī’s skyline; as they cross an unseen threshold, a subtle liberation motif—chains falling, light rising—signifying ‘prāpya kāśīm bhavenmuktaḥ’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Mukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as uniquely liberation-bestowing; reaching it consummates the quest for mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), the paramount mokṣa-kṣetra in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The emphasis is on ‘prāpti’—attaining/reaching Kāśī—rather than a specific rite; earlier-mentioned practices are framed as means to reach Kāśī.