Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

किमु निर्वाणपदस्य भद्रपीठं मृदुलं तल्पमथोनुमोक्षलक्ष्म्याः । अथवा मणिकर्णिकास्थली परमानंदसुकंदजन्मभूमिः

Transliteration

kimu nirvāṇapadasya bhadrapīṭhaṃ mṛdulaṃ talpamathonumokṣalakṣmyāḥ | athavā maṇikarṇikāsthalī paramānaṃdasukaṃdajanmabhūmiḥ

Translation

മണികർണികാ നിർവാണപദത്തിന്റെ മംഗളാസനം, അതിന്റെ മൃദുല ശയ്യാസദൃശ ആശ്രയം അല്ലയോ? അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അതുതന്നെ മോക്ഷലക്ഷ്മിയുടെ ജന്മഭൂമി—പരമാനന്ദവും സത്യസുഖവും ഉദ്ഭവിക്കുന്ന മൂലസ്ഥാനമോ?

Word by Word

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• उ: indeed/then
• उ: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/interrogative particle)

• निर्वाणपदस्य: of the state/abode of nirvāṇa
• निर्वाणपदस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण+पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (निर्वाणस्य पदम्)

• भद्रपीठम्: auspicious seat/pedestal
• भद्रपीठम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्र+पीठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (भद्रं पीठम्)

• मृदुलम्: soft, gentle
• मृदुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृदुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• तल्पम्: bed, couch
• तल्पम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अथो: or else/then
• अथो: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ + उ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/विकल्पसूचक (or/then)

• अनुमोक्षलक्ष्म्याः: of the fortune/glory of (final) release
• अनुमोक्षलक्ष्म्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुमोक्ष+लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (अनुमोक्षस्य लक्ष्मीः)

• अथवा: or
• अथवा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (or)

• मणिकर्णिकास्थली: Maṇikarṇikā ground
• मणिकर्णिकास्थली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका+स्थली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• परमानन्दसुकन्दजन्मभूमिः: birthplace of the fragrant essence of supreme bliss
• परमानन्दसुकन्दजन्मभूमिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम+आनन्द+सुकन्द+जन्म+भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (परमस्य आनन्दस्य सुकन्दः—तस्य जन्मभूमिः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (unnamed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Maṇikarṇikā envisioned as a soft, auspicious seat/bed of nirvāṇa—an allegorical landscape where liberation is personified as Lakṣmī arising amid serene radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Nirvāṇa
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is presented not only as a distant ideal but as a living presence in Kāśī—especially at Maṇikarṇikā, described as the seat and source of mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā-sthalī in Kāśī, praised as the ‘seat of nirvāṇa’ and origin of liberation’s grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the verse exalts the inherent salvific greatness of the kṣetra.