Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

निबर्हणी मधौघस्य सुपुण्य परिबृंहिणीम् । कः प्राप्य काशीं दुर्मेधास्त्यजेन्मोक्षसुखप्रदाम्

Transliteration

nibarhaṇī madhaughasya supuṇya paribṛṃhiṇīm | kaḥ prāpya kāśīṃ durmedhāstyajenmokṣasukhapradām

Translation

മധുരഭോഗപ്രലോഭനങ്ങളുടെ പ്രവാഹം നശിപ്പിക്കുകയും പുണ്യം വർദ്ധിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്ന, മോക്ഷസുഖം നൽകുന്ന കാശിയെ പ്രാപിച്ചിട്ട് ഏതു ദുർമേധാവി അവളെ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കും?

Word by Word

• nibarhaṇī: the remover/destroyer
• nibarhaṇī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni + √bṛh/√barh (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—णिनी-प्रत्यय (agent noun/कर्तृवाचक), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘kāśī’ (implicit) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• madha-oghasya: of the flood of honey/sweetness
• madha-oghasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madha (प्रातिपदिक) + ogha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (madhasya oghaḥ)

• su-puṇya: very meritorious
• su-puṇya: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘paribṛṃhiṇīm’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (su-puṇyā)

• paribṛṃhiṇīm: the increaser/augmenter
• paribṛṃhiṇīm: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari + √bṛṃh (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—णिनी-प्रत्यय (agent noun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘kāśīm’ (understood) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• kaḥ: who?
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• prāpya: having attained
• prāpya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √āp (धातु) + pra (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• kāśīm: Kāśī
• kāśīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• durmedhāḥ: a dull-witted person
• durmedhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durmedhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tyajet: would abandon
• tyajet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tyaj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• mokṣa-sukha-pradām: bestowing the happiness of liberation
• mokṣa-sukha-pradām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + pradā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘kāśīm’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (mokṣasya sukhasya pradā)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution for Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāśī personified as a radiant goddess/kshetra-shakti standing by the Gaṅgā, crushing or dispersing a wave of honey-like golden liquid (temptations) while showering pilgrims with light-symbols of puṇya; Viśveśvara temple glows behind.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is celebrated as both a purifier of desire and a multiplier of merit, culminating in mokṣa; leaving it is spiritual folly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, described as the bestower of liberation’s bliss.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific practice is named; the verse emphasizes the value of remaining in Kāśī.