Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

वाराणसीं समुत्सृज्य यस्त्वन्यत्र यियासति । हत्वा निधानं पादेन सोर्थमिच्छति भिक्षया

Transliteration

vārāṇasīṃ samutsṛjya yastvanyatra yiyāsati | hatvā nidhānaṃ pādena sorthamicchati bhikṣayā

Translation

വാരാണസിയെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് മറ്റിടത്തേക്ക് പോകാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവൻ, കാൽ കൊണ്ട് മറഞ്ഞ നിധിയെ തട്ടി പിന്നെ ഭിക്ഷയിലൂടെ ധനം തേടുന്നവനെപ്പോലെ.

Word by Word

• वाराणसीम्: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसीम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• समुत्सृज्य: having abandoned
• समुत्सृज्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उत्-सृज् (धातु) → समुत्सृज्य (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: सृज्; उपसर्ग: सम्+उत्; ‘having completely abandoned’

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक/यत्-शब्द

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• यियासति: wants to go
• यियासति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु) → यियास (देशिदेरिवेटिव/इच्छार्थक)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; इच्छार्थक-रूप (desiderative): ‘wants to go’

• हत्वा: having struck
• हत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; ‘having struck/killed’

• निधानम्: a treasure/hoard
• निधानम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पादेन: with the foot
• पादेन: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अर्थम्: wealth/means
• अर्थम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इच्छति: desires
• इच्छति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• भिक्षया: by begging
• भिक्षया: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; साधन/उपायार्थे

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa norm: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/seekers in the frame audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A man walks away from Kāśī’s ghāṭas while his foot strikes the ground where a glowing treasure chest is half-buried; in the distance he holds a begging bowl, symbolizing misguided pursuit.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Leaving Kāśī is depicted as self-sabotage—discarding immediate spiritual wealth and then seeking lesser gains with difficulty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī/Kāśī is glorified as a ‘treasure’ readily available to the seeker.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it implicitly recommends steadfastness—remaining connected to Kāśī’s sacred discipline.