Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

यावज्जीवं वसेद्यस्तु क्षेत्रमाहात्म्यविन्नरः । जन्ममृत्यु भयं हित्वा स याति परमां गतिम्

Transliteration

yāvajjīvaṃ vasedyastu kṣetramāhātmyavinnaraḥ | janmamṛtyu bhayaṃ hitvā sa yāti paramāṃ gatim

Translation

ഈ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം അറിഞ്ഞ് ജീവിതകാലം മുഴുവൻ ഇവിടെ വസിക്കുന്നവൻ, ജനനമരണഭയം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് പരമഗതിയെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• यावत्-जीवम्: for life/so long as alive
• यावत्-जीवम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + जीव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; कालपरिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (as long as one lives)

• वसेत्: should dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• क्षेत्र-माहात्म्य-वित्: knower of the sacredness of the kṣetra
• क्षेत्र-माहात्म्य-वित्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विद् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘knower’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः (knower of the field’s greatness)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जन्म-मृत्यु-भयम्: fear of birth and death
• जन्म-मृत्यु-भयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (fear of birth and death)

• हित्वा: having abandoned
• हित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हा (धातु) → हित्वा (कृदन्त; त्वान्त, absolutive/gerund)
• Form: त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund: having abandoned)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परमाम्: supreme
• परमाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• गतिम्: state/goal
• गतिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kṣetra (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Not specified in the provided excerpt

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An elderly devotee residing in Kāśī, seated near a shrine with calm, fearless eyes; behind him the timeless city—ghāṭs, temples, cremation fires at a distance—symbolizing transcendence of birth and death.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Knowing Kāśī’s sanctity and living there with faith leads beyond fear of rebirth to the highest end.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as Avimukta-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Lifelong residence grounded in understanding of the kṣetra’s māhātmya (no specific rite beyond steadfast dwelling).