Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

कः काशीं प्राप्य दुर्बुद्धिरपरत्र यियासति । मोक्षनिक्षेप कलशीं तुच्छश्रीकृतमानसः

Transliteration

kaḥ kāśīṃ prāpya durbuddhiraparatra yiyāsati | mokṣanikṣepa kalaśīṃ tucchaśrīkṛtamānasaḥ

Translation

കാശിയെ പ്രാപിച്ച ശേഷം ഏതു മൂഢൻ മറ്റിടത്തേക്ക് പോകാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കും? കാശി മോക്ഷനിക്ഷേപത്തിന്റെ കലശമാണ്; തുച്ഛ ഐശ്വര്യങ്ങൾ കൊണ്ട് മനസ്സ് ചെറുതാക്കിയവനേ മറ്റിടം തേടൂ.

Word by Word

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग) (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा/ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund)

• दुर्बुद्धिः: a foolish person
• दुर्बुद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + बुद्धि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘दुष्टा बुद्धिः यस्य’ (अर्थतः बहुव्रीहिवत्)

• अपरत्र: elsewhere
• अपरत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपरत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/अवसरवाचक-अव्यय ‘elsewhere/afterwards’

• यियासति: wants to go
• यियासति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु) (सन्नन्त/इच्छार्थ; यियास्)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; सन्नन्त-धातुरूप (desiderative) ‘wishes to go’

• मोक्षनिक्षेपकलशीम्: the jar that deposits (bestows) liberation
• मोक्षनिक्षेपकलशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष + निक्षेप + कलशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास ‘मोक्षस्य निक्षेपः’ इति, तदर्था ‘कलशी’

• तुच्छश्रीकृतमानसः: one whose mind deems worldly prosperity trivial
• तुच्छश्रीकृतमानसः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुच्छ + श्री + कृत + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि ‘तुच्छा श्रीः कृताः (गणिताः) येन मानसेन सः’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāśī as a sacred golden kalaśa overflowing with light labeled ‘mokṣa’, while a pilgrim turns away from glittering but small worldly palaces and jewels; the Gaṅgā and Viśvanātha temple anchor the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly attractions are ‘small’ compared to liberation; Kāśī is praised as a unique locus where mokṣa is most accessible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), explicitly exalted as a “mokṣa-vessel” (mokṣa-nikṣepa-kalaśī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; it counsels steadfast attachment to Kāśī over chasing lesser worldly gains.