Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

आलस्येनापि यो यायाद्गृहाद्विश्वेश्वरालयम् । अश्वमेधाधिको धर्मस्तस्य स्याच्च पदेपदे

Transliteration

ālasyenāpi yo yāyādgṛhādviśveśvarālayam | aśvamedhādhiko dharmastasya syācca padepade

Translation

ആലസ്യത്താലെങ്കിലും ആരെങ്കിലും വീട്ടിൽ നിന്ന് വിശ്വേശ്വരാലയത്തിലേക്ക് പോകുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, അവന്റെ ഓരോ പടിയിലും അശ്വമേധയാഗത്തേക്കാൾ മഹത്തായ ധർമ്മഫലം ഉദിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• आलस्येन: by laziness, even out of laziness
• आलस्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आलस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपवाद/अल्पार्थ (even/also)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• यायात्: should go / would go
• यायात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (actually 3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु—या (गत्यर्थ)

• गृहात्: from (his) house
• गृहात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन

• विश्वेश्वरालयम्: the temple/abode of Viśveśvara
• विश्वेश्वरालयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; विश्व+ईश्वर, तत्पुरुष) + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—विश्वेश्वर-आलय

• अश्वमेधाधिकः: greater than (the merit of) an Aśvamedha
• अश्वमेधाधिकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—अश्वमेध-अधिक (अश्वमेधात् अधिकः)

• धर्मः: merit, dharma
• धर्मः: Karta/Pradhana (Subject/Predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु—अस् (भू)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• पदे: at (each) step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे लोके (in each step)

• पदे: at step after step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (पदे-पदे)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Viśvanātha) darśana in Kāśī

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣi interlocutors, contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee leaving home reluctantly, yet the street itself becomes a sacred path; each footprint blossoms into lotuses of light leading to the towering Viśveśvara shrine, with bells and lamps welcoming him.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara
• Kāśī
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, even a simple, imperfectly motivated movement toward Śiva yields immense merit due to the power of the kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśveśvara’s temple/abode in Kāśī, the central Śaiva sanctuary of Vārāṇasī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Going from one’s home to Viśveśvara’s shrine (a basic pilgrimage act), with merit accruing step by step.