Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

अनाशनं यः कुरुते मद्भक्त इह सुव्रतः । न तस्य पुनरावृत्तिः कल्पकोटिशतैरपि

Transliteration

anāśanaṃ yaḥ kurute madbhakta iha suvrataḥ | na tasya punarāvṛttiḥ kalpakoṭiśatairapi

Translation

എന്റെ ഭക്തനായി സുവ്രതത്തിൽ ദൃഢനായി ഇവിടെ ഉപവാസം ചെയ്യുന്നവന്, കോടിക്കണക്കിന് കല്പങ്ങൾ കഴിഞ്ഞാലും പുനരാവർത്തനം (പുനർജന്മം) ഉണ്ടാകുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• अनाशनम्: fasting
• अनाशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन् (नञ्-प्रत्यय) + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थ (fasting/non-eating)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• कुरुते: does/undertakes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मद्-भक्तः: my devotee
• मद्-भक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद् (अस्मद्-प्रातिपदिक) + भक्त (कृदन्त; √भज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मम भक्तः)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here/in this world)

• सुव्रतः: of good vow / well-disciplined
• सुव्रतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सुन्दरं व्रतं यस्य)

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

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kala (Repetition/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (again)

• आवृत्तिः: return (rebirth)
• आवृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कल्प-कोटि-शतैः: by hundreds of crores of aeons
• कल्प-कोटि-शतैः: Karana (Measure/Instrumental of extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कल्पानां कोटीनां शतानि)

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted pilgrim fasting in Kāśī: seated near a shrine with a lamp, japa-mālā in hand, calm face; above, a cosmic timeline motif (kalpa cycles) dissolving, symbolizing ‘no return’ beyond aeons.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta (implied)
• Kāśī (implied)
• vrata
• kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion joined with disciplined vow (vrata) in a sacred kṣetra is presented as a direct cause for freedom from rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Avimukta is implied as the ‘here’ where such fasting yields extraordinary liberation-fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Anāśana (fasting) performed with bhakti and steadfast vrata-observance is prescribed as a liberation-oriented discipline.