Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

यदाकर्ण्य नरः प्राज्ञ काशीवासस्य यत्फलम् । निष्प्रत्यूहं तदाप्नोति विश्वभर्त्तुरनुग्रहात्

Transliteration

yadākarṇya naraḥ prājña kāśīvāsasya yatphalam | niṣpratyūhaṃ tadāpnoti viśvabhartturanugrahāt

Translation

ഹേ പ്രാജ്ഞാ! കാശിവാസത്തിന്റെ ഫലം കേട്ടാൽ മനുഷ്യൻ വിശ്വഭർത്താവിന്റെ അനുഗ്രഹത്താൽ യാതൊരു വിഘ്നവും കൂടാതെ ആ പുണ്യം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक, temporal conjunction)

• आकर्ण्य: having heard
• आकर्ण्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-श्रु/कर्ण् (श्रु धातु; भावे ल्यप्)
• Form: कृदन्त (ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-अव्यय, gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• प्राज्ञ: O wise one
• प्राज्ञ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; विशेषण/सम्बोधन

• काशीवासस्य: of residence in Kāśī / of the Kāśī-dweller
• काशीवासस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी + वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (काश्यां वासः/वासिन्)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• निष्प्रत्यूहम्: unobstructed
• निष्प्रत्यूहम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः + प्रत्यूह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; नञ्/निः-पूर्वक तत्पुरुष (without obstacles)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आप्नोति: attains
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (आप् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विश्वभर्तुः: of the sustainer of the universe
• विश्वभर्तुः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व + भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (विश्वस्य भर्ता)

• अनुग्रहात्: from/through grace
• अनुग्रहात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-vāsa (dwelling in Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda declares that a wise person, by hearing the fruit of dwelling in Kāśī, attains that merit without obstruction through the grace of the world-sustainer.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Viśvabhartṛ (Lord as world-sustainer, implicitly Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to Kāśī Māhātmya itself becomes a channel of grace, granting merit smoothly and surely.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, specifically the spiritual fruit (phala) of Kāśī-vāsa (residence in Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is śravaṇa—hearing the Māhātmya with faith—as an efficacious devotional act.