Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

संसारबंधविच्छित्तिमपि यच्छति सार्चिता । गणना शृंखलादीनां का च तस्याः समर्चनात्

Transliteration

saṃsārabaṃdhavicchittimapi yacchati sārcitā | gaṇanā śṛṃkhalādīnāṃ kā ca tasyāḥ samarcanāt

Translation

വിധിപൂർവം ഭക്തിയോടെ അവളെ ആരാധിച്ചാൽ, അവൾ സാംസാരബന്ധം പോലും ഛേദിച്ചു തരുന്നു. അപ്പോൾ ശൃംഖലാമോചനാദി ചെറുഫലങ്ങൾ എണ്ണേണ്ടതെന്ത്, അവളെ സമ്യകായി സമർചിച്ചാൽ?

Word by Word

• संसारबन्धविच्छित्तिम्: the cutting off of the bondage of saṃsāra
• संसारबन्धविच्छित्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + विच्छित्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (संसारस्य बन्धस्य विच्छित्तिः)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे ‘even/also’

• यच्छति: gives/grants
• यच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सा: she/that (goddess/that place)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अर्चिता: worshipped
• अर्चिता: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्च् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘worshipped’

• गणना: counting/measure
• गणना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गणना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शृङ्खलादीनाम्: of chains and the like
• शृङ्खलादीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शृङ्खला (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शृङ्खला-आदि = chains and the like)

• का: what (value/need)?
• का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तस्याः: of her/of that
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• समर्चनात्: from/through proper worship
• समर्चनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक-भाववाचक संज्ञा

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene Kāśī shrine scene: the Devī being worshipped with lamps and flowers; subtle imagery of broken chains dissolving into light, signifying saṃsāra-bandha-viccheda.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Devī (tīrtha-devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True worship aimed at the Divine in Kāśī culminates in mokṣa—freedom from saṃsāra—making lesser boons insignificant.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as a liberating kṣetra, through the presence and worship of the local tīrtha-devī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samarcana—proper devotional worship (arcana) of the Goddess associated with the Kāśī sacred geography.