Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

तिर्यग्योनिगताः सत्त्वा ये विमुक्तकृतालयाः । कालेन निधनं प्राप्तास्तेपि यांति परां गतिम्

Transliteration

tiryagyonigatāḥ sattvā ye vimuktakṛtālayāḥ | kālena nidhanaṃ prāptāstepi yāṃti parāṃ gatim

Translation

തിര്യഗ്യോണിയിൽ (മൃഗാദി) ജനിച്ച സത്ത്വങ്ങളും വിമുക്ത (അവിമുക്ത)ത്തിൽ വാസമാക്കിയാൽ, കാലക്രമത്തിൽ മരണം പ്രാപിക്കുമ്പോൾ അവരും പരമഗതിയെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तिर्यग्योनिगताः: gone into animal wombs (born as animals)
• तिर्यग्योनिगताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिर्यक् (प्रातिपदिक) + योनि (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (तिर्यग्योनिषु गताः) (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• सत्त्वाः: beings
• सत्त्वाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

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

• विमुक्तकृतालयाः: those who have made their abode in Vimukta (Kāśī)
• विमुक्तकृतालयाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (प्रातिपदिक) + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (विमुक्ते कृतः आलयः येषाम्) बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; used possessively)

• कालेन: by time, in due course
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• निधनम्: death
• निधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• प्राप्ताः: having reached (met with)
• प्राप्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘प्राप्ताः’ = having attained/reached

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भावार्थक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• यान्ति: go, attain
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (Present indicative, 3rd person, plural)

• पराम्: supreme
• पराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; गतिम् इति विशेषण (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• गतिम्: state/destination
• गतिम्: Gati-Karma (Goal/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vimukta/Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Animals living near Kāśī’s ghāṭas and temples—cows, dogs, birds—are shown within a sanctifying aura; at death, a gentle ascent toward light symbolizes ‘parā gati’.

Characters & Entities

• Vimukta (Avimukta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of Avimukta is depicted as so powerful that even non-human beings associated with it can reach the supreme goal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vimukta/Avimukta in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on residing in/being connected to the sacred kṣetra as the decisive factor.