Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

वरमेतेपक्षिमृगाः पशवः काशिवासिनः । येषां न पुनरावृत्तिर्नदेवानपुनर्भवाः

Transliteration

varametepakṣimṛgāḥ paśavaḥ kāśivāsinaḥ | yeṣāṃ na punarāvṛttirnadevānapunarbhavāḥ

Translation

കാശിയിൽ വസിക്കുന്ന പക്ഷികളും മൃഗങ്ങളും പശുക്കളും പോലും ധന്യരാണ്; കാരണം അവർക്കു വീണ്ടും സംസാരത്തിലേക്കു മടങ്ങിവരൽ ഇല്ല. ഇത്തരമൊരു പുനർജന്മരഹിത മോക്ഷം ദേവന്മാർക്കും എളുപ്പമല്ല.

Word by Word

• वरम्: better; preferable
• वरम्: Sambandha (Discourse marker/वाक्योपक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable particle/adverb; अर्थे ‘श्रेष्ठम्/उचितम्’

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम = demonstrative pronoun

• पक्षि-मृगाः: birds and beasts
• पक्षि-मृगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (इतरेतर)

• पशवः: animals; cattle
• पशवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• काशिवासिनः: residents of Kāśī
• काशिवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (काश्याः वासिनः)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रयोग = relative pronoun

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात = negation particle

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय = adverb

• आवृत्तिः: return; recurrence
• आवृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-वृत् (धातु) + क्तिन् (प्रत्यय) → आवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भाववाचक-संज्ञा

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात = negation particle

• देवान्: the gods
• देवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• अपुनर्भवाः: not subject to rebirth
• अपुनर्भवाः: Karta (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + पुनर्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; नञ्-समास/कर्मधारय (पुनर्भवः न)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic Kāśī riverfront with ghāṭas and temples; birds and animals within the sacred precinct bathed in a subtle Śiva-tejas, suggesting effortless liberation; distant devas look on in astonishment.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is proclaimed a supreme mokṣa-kṣetra: mere residence in its sacred sphere can remove the cycle of rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), revered in the Skanda Purana as the foremost place of liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on the salvific power of Kāśīvāsa (dwelling in Kāśī).