Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

जन्मांतरसहस्रेषु यत्पापं समुपार्जितम् । अविमुक्तं प्रविष्टस्य तत्सर्वं व्रजति क्षयम्

Transliteration

janmāṃtarasahasreṣu yatpāpaṃ samupārjitam | avimuktaṃ praviṣṭasya tatsarvaṃ vrajati kṣayam

Translation

ആയിരം ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ സമ്പാദിച്ച ഏതു പാപവും, അവിമുക്തത്തിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കുന്നവന്റെത് എല്ലാം ക്ഷയിച്ച് നശിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• जन्मान्तरसहस्रेषु: in thousands of other births
• जन्मान्तरसहस्रेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जन्मान्तराणां सहस्रेषु) (Neuter, Locative, Plural)

• यत्: whatever/which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• समुपार्जितम्: accumulated
• समुपार्जितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उप + अर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि (acquired/accumulated)

• अविमुक्तम्: Avimukta (Kāśī)
• अविमुक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• प्रविष्टस्य: of one who has entered
• प्रविष्टस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक-सम्भव, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘(यस्य) प्रविष्टः’ (Genitive singular: of one who has entered)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्-निर्देशक (correlative)

• सर्वम्: all (of it)
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• व्रजति: goes, reaches
• व्रजति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present indicative, 3rd person, singular)

• क्षयम्: destruction, dissolution
• क्षयम्: Gati-Karma (Goal/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A threshold moment: a pilgrim crosses into Avimukta; behind them, dark karmic shadows dissolve; ahead, the city glows with Śiva’s presence.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Avimukta-kṣetra is portrayed as a uniquely purifying realm where deep karmic burdens are dissolved.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The act emphasized is ‘entering’ Avimukta—pilgrimage/approach to the kṣetra as a transformative spiritual act.