Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

कर्मभूरुह दावाग्नौ संसाराब्ध्यौर्वशोचिपि । निर्वाणलक्ष्मी क्षीराब्धौ सुखसंकेतसद्मनि

Transliteration

karmabhūruha dāvāgnau saṃsārābdhyaurvaśocipi | nirvāṇalakṣmī kṣīrābdhau sukhasaṃketasadmani

Translation

ഹേ കാശീ! നീ കര്‍മ്മവൃക്ഷത്തിന് ദാവാഗ്നിപോലെ, സംസാരസമുദ്രത്തിന് ഔര്‍വാഗ്നിപോലെ ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നവള്‍. നീ മോക്ഷസുഖസൂചകമായ ധാമം; നിര്‍വാണലക്ഷ്മി വസിക്കുന്ന ക്ഷീരസമുദ്രംപോലെ।

Word by Word

• कर्मभूरुह: O tree (that grows from) karma
• कर्मभूरुह: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ-प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म-भूरुह (प्रातिपदिक; कर्म + भूरुह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कर्मणः भूरुहः)

• दावाग्नौ: in the forest-fire
• दावाग्नौ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दावाग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दावस्य अग्निः)

• संसाराब्धि: in the ocean of saṃsāra
• संसाराब्धि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार-अब्धि (प्रातिपदिक; संसार + अब्धि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (संसारस्य अब्धिः)

• और्वशोचि: in the submarine fire (aurva-flame)
• और्वशोचि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: और्व-शोचि (प्रातिपदिक; और्व + शोचि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (और्वं शोचिः)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• निर्वाणलक्ष्मी: O fortune of nirvāṇa
• निर्वाणलक्ष्मी: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ-प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण-लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक; निर्वाण + लक्ष्मी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (निर्वाणस्य लक्ष्मीः)

• क्षीराब्धौ: in the ocean of milk
• क्षीराब्धौ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीराब्धि (प्रातिपदिक; क्षीर + अब्धि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षीरस्य अब्धिः)

• सुखसंकेतसद्मनि: in the abode that is a sign/harbinger of happiness
• सुखसंकेतसद्मनि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख-संकेत-सद्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; सुख + संकेत + सद्मन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (सुखस्य संकेतः यस्मिन् तत् सद्म)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified Kāśī as a radiant kṣetra: a blazing fire consuming a ‘tree of karma’ while beneath an ocean of saṃsāra a submarine fire glows; above, a serene milk-ocean-like luminosity bearing the ‘fortune of nirvāṇa’, with Viśveśvara’s presence implied.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Nirvāṇa
• Kṣīrābdhi (Milk-Ocean)
• Saṃsāra
• Karma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is praised as a power that burns karma and dries up saṃsāra, pointing the soul toward mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra (Varanasi), celebrated as the supreme liberating field.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; the verse is a eulogy establishing Kāśī’s liberating potency.