Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

संसारासारतां ज्ञात्वा वानप्रस्थमशिश्रियम् । अनेनैव शरीरेण महासिद्धिमभीप्सता

Transliteration

saṃsārāsāratāṃ jñātvā vānaprasthamaśiśriyam | anenaiva śarīreṇa mahāsiddhimabhīpsatā

Translation

സംസാരത്തിന്റെ അസാരത അറിഞ്ഞ് ഞാൻ വാനപ്രസ്ഥാശ്രമം സ്വീകരിച്ചു; ഈ ദേഹത്തോടെയേ മഹാസിദ്ധി നേടാൻ ആഗ്രഹിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• संसारासारताम्: the worthlessness of worldly existence
• संसारासारताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार + असारता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (संसारस्य असारता)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• वानप्रस्थम्: the forest-dweller stage (vānaprastha)
• वानप्रस्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानप्रस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• अशिश्रियम्: I adopted / I resorted to
• अशिश्रियम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√श्रि (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: आ; (अशिश्रियम् = I resorted to)

• अनेन: with this
• अनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-रूप (context: 'with this')

• एव: indeed / only
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle of emphasis)

• शरीरेण: by/with (this) body
• शरीरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• महासिद्धिम्: great attainment
• महासिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महती सिद्धिः)

• अभीप्सता: by (one) desiring
• अभीप्सता: Karta (Agent in instrumental absolute/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि-√आप्/ईप्स् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रायः), तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग; विशेषण (अनेन शरीरेण ... अभीप्सता = by me desiring)

Speaker

Damana

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A former scholar now in vanaprastha attire, leaving settled life for a forest hermitage; a sense of renunciation and resolve, with a staff and waterpot, body still central to practice.

Characters & Entities

• Damana
• Vānaprastha
• Mahāsiddhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Recognition of saṃsāra’s impermanence naturally leads to disciplined renunciation and higher aspiration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred context, associated with liberation-oriented resolve and ascetic discipline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is āśrama-dharma—adopting vānaprastha discipline—rather than a single ritual act.