Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

मुक्तिस्थानान्यनेकानि कृतस्तत्रापिनिर्णयः । तानि ते कथयाम्यत्र दत्तचित्ता भव क्षणम्

Transliteration

muktisthānānyanekāni kṛtastatrāpinirṇayaḥ | tāni te kathayāmyatra dattacittā bhava kṣaṇam

Translation

മോക്ഷം നൽകുന്ന അനേകം തീർത്ഥസ്ഥാനങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ട്; അവയുടെ നിർണ്ണയവും അവിടെ തന്നെ നിശ്ചയിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു. ഇപ്പോൾ അവയെ ഇവിടെ നിന്നോട് പറയുന്നു—ഒരു ക്ഷണം മനസ്സു ഏകാഗ്രമാക്കി ശ്രവിക്കൂ।

Word by Word

• मुक्तिस्थानानि: places of liberation
• मुक्तिस्थानानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुक्तेः स्थानानि = places of liberation)

• अनेकानि: many
• अनेकानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (मुक्तिस्थानानि)

• कृतः: has been made/settled
• कृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृ-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः (भूतकर्मणि/कर्मणि प्रयोगः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘कृतः’ = made/done

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (also/even)

• निर्णयः: decision; determination
• निर्णयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्णय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• तानि: those (things/places)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (to you)

• कथयामि: I tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• दत्तचित्ताः: attentive; with mind fixed
• दत्तचित्ताः: Sambodhana (Addressed/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (दत्तं चित्तं येषां ते = those whose mind is attentive)

• भव: be
• भव: Kriya (Imperative/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कालवाचक

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Likely Pārvatī (common Kāśīkhaṇḍa interlocutor) or a sage-assembly in the frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm teaching scene: the narrator pauses, asking the listener to be attentive, before unveiling a sacred map of liberation-places.

Characters & Entities

• Mukti
• Muktisthāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is associated with specific sacred locales, and their tradition-based classification is to be received with focused attention and faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named yet; the verse introduces an upcoming catalog of renowned muktisthānas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A mental discipline is implied: listen attentively (dattacittā) to the teaching on tīrthas and their fruits.