Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

कस्यचित्काशितीर्थस्य महिम्नो महतस्तुलाम् । नाधिरोहेन्मुने नूनमपि त्रैलोक्यमंडपः

Transliteration

kasyacitkāśitīrthasya mahimno mahatastulām | nādhirohenmune nūnamapi trailokyamaṃḍapaḥ

Translation

ഹേ മുനേ! കാശിയിലെ ഏതെങ്കിലും ഒരു തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ മഹത്തായ മഹിമയുടെ തുലാസിൽ കയറാൻ, ത്രിലോകങ്ങളുടെ മുഴുവൻ മണ്ഡപവും പോലും നിശ്ചയമായി കഴിയുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• कस्यचित्: of some
• कस्यचित्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular); अनिश्चितार्थक (indefinite: “of some”)

• काशितीर्थस्य: of a Kāśī sacred place
• काशितीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशितीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; काशी + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• महिम्नः: of the greatness
• महिम्नः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• महतः: of the great
• महतः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying ‘महिम्नः’)

• तुलाम्: a comparison, measure (scale)
• तुलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अधिरोहेत्: could ascend/reach
• अधिरोहेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-√रुह् (धातु; रुहँ—आरोहणे)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: “surely”)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: “even/also”)

• त्रैलोक्यमण्डपः: the pavilion/assembly of the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यमण्डपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैलोक्य-मण्डप (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + लोक + मण्डप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-tīrtha (any single tīrtha within Kāśī)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (explicitly addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic balance-scale imagery: on one side a single Kāśī-tīrtha (a small ghāṭa with liṅga and Gaṅgā water), on the other side the three worlds depicted as a grand pavilion—yet the Kāśī side outweighs it, watched by a sage.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• tīrtha (general)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even one Kāśī tīrtha is portrayed as immeasurably potent—devotion to sacred place is a direct path to merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s tīrthas collectively; the verse says even a single Kāśī tīrtha is incomparable.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse functions as a sweeping praise of pilgrimage value.