Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 170

Devanagari script

काश्यां सुखेन कैवल्यं यथालभ्येत जंतुभिः । योगयुक्त्याद्युपायैश्च न तथान्यत्र कुत्रचित्

Transliteration

kāśyāṃ sukhena kaivalyaṃ yathālabhyeta jaṃtubhiḥ | yogayuktyādyupāyaiśca na tathānyatra kutracit

Translation

കാശിയിൽ ജീവികൾ എളുപ്പത്തിൽ കൈവല്യം (മോക്ഷം) പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു—യോഗയുക്തി മുതലായ ഉപായങ്ങളാൽ—മറ്റെവിടെയും അങ്ങനെ അല്ല।

Word by Word

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• सुखेन: with ease, easily
• सुखेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन — adverbial instrument 'easily'

• कैवल्यम्: liberation, absolute isolation
• कैवल्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैवल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन — object of 'labhyeta'

• यथा: as, in the manner that
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative/relative adverb) — 'as/how'

• लभ्येत: may be obtained
• लभ्येत: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; आत्मनेपद — 'may be obtained' (passive sense)

• जन्तुभिः: by living beings
• जन्तुभिः: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन — agent/instrument in passive

• योगयुक्ति: by yogic methods
• योगयुक्ति: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग + युक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (योगस्य युक्तिः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन — in compound with 'आदि'

• आदि: and the like
• आदि: Sambandha (Enumeration marker/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (suffix-like indeclinable) — 'etc., beginning with'

• उपायैः: by means, by methods
• उपायैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध अव्यय (negation particle)

• तथा: so, in that way
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb) — 'so, thus, in that way'

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (locative adverb) — 'elsewhere'

• कुत्रचित्: anywhere (whatsoever)
• कुत्रचित्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुत्रचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indefinite locative adverb) — 'anywhere at all'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene panorama of Kāśī: Viśveśvara’s presence felt over the ghats; yogins meditate, and the city itself appears as a luminous mandala granting kaivalya.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It proclaims Kāśī as uniquely conducive to liberation, affirming the purāṇic doctrine of sacred geography and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) itself is directly glorified as a supreme mokṣa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse broadly recommends yoga-based means (upāyas) rather than naming a specific vrata or snāna.