Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

मुक्तिक्षेत्राणि सर्वाणि यत्संसेव्योदितं फलम् । पंचरात्रात्तदत्रास्तु निषेव्य मणिकर्णिकाम्

Transliteration

muktikṣetrāṇi sarvāṇi yatsaṃsevyoditaṃ phalam | paṃcarātrāttadatrāstu niṣevya maṇikarṇikām

Translation

സകല മുക്തിക്ഷേത്രങ്ങളെയും സേവിച്ചതാൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന ഫലം, ഇവിടെ മണികർണികയെ ഭക്തിയോടെ ആശ്രയിച്ചാൽ അഞ്ചു രാത്രികളിൽ തന്നെ ലഭിക്കട്ടെ।

Word by Word

• मुक्तिक्षेत्राणि: holy places of liberation
• मुक्तिक्षेत्राणि: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (मुक्तेः क्षेत्राणि) — “liberation-giving holy fields”

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; विशेषण

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (relative)

• संसेव्य: having visited/served
• संसेव्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + सेव् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष-अव्यय (gerund); “having resorted to/served”

• उदितम्: is declared
• उदितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; “is said/declared”

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन

• पंचरात्रात्: after five nights
• पंचरात्रात्: Kala/Avadhi (Time-limit/काल-अवधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (पञ्च रात्रयः) — “from five nights; after five nights”

• तत्: that (fruit)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (correlative)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक — “here”

• अस्तु: let it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; “let it be”

• निषेव्य: having visited
• निषेव्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + सेव् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्-अव्यय (gerund); “having resorted to/visited”

• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Maṇikarṇikā (ghāṭ/holy spot)
• मणिकर्णिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्म (object of निषेव्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night at Maṇikarṇikā: lamps flicker along the ghat, the Gaṅgā flows dark and luminous, pilgrims sit in meditation while funeral fires glow in the distance; a Śiva-liṅga shrine stands nearby, suggesting liberation through Śiva’s grace.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Kāśī
• Mukti-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī is exalted as a concentrated gateway to liberation, surpassing many pilgrimage circuits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā (the famed tīrtha/ghāṭ of Kāśī) is explicitly praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devoted resort to Maṇikarṇikā for five nights (pañca-rātra) is recommended.