Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

अनेकजन्मजनित महापापाद्रिवज्रिणि । नामोच्चारकृतां पुंसां महाश्रेयो विधायिनि

Transliteration

anekajanmajanita mahāpāpādrivajriṇi | nāmoccārakṛtāṃ puṃsāṃ mahāśreyo vidhāyini

Translation

ഹേ കാശീ! അനേകം ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ സഞ്ചിതമായ മഹാപാപപർവ്വതത്തിന് നീ വജ്രംപോലെ പ്രഹരിക്കുന്നവളാണ്. നിന്റെ നാമോച്ചാരണമാത്രം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ നീ മനുഷ്യർക്കു മഹാശ്രേയസ്, പരമമംഗളം നൽകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• अनेकजन्मजनित: produced from many births
• अनेकजन्मजनित: Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक-जन्म-जनित (प्रातिपदिक; अनेक + जन्म + जनित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/सम्बोधन-एकवचन (विशेषणरूपेण); भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'जनित' = produced; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (अनेकजन्मभिः जनितः)

• महापापाद्रिवज्रिणि: O thunderbolt to the mountain of great sins
• महापापाद्रिवज्रिणि: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापाप-अद्रि-वज्रिणी (प्रातिपदिक; महापाप + अद्रि + वज्रिणी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (महापापरूपः अद्रिः; तस्मिन् वज्रिणी = thunderbolt)

• नामोच्चारकृताम्: of those who have performed the utterance of the name
• नामोच्चारकृताम्: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाम-उच्चार-कृत (प्रातिपदिक; नाम + उच्चार + कृत)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'कृत' = done; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (नाम्नः उच्चारः कृतः)

• पुंसाम्: of men/people
• पुंसाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• महाश्रेयः: great welfare/highest good
• महाश्रेयः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाश्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक; महा + श्रेयस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महत् श्रेयः)

• विधायिनि: O bestower
• विधायिनि: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-√धा (धातु) → विधायिन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्त (णिनि/इनि-प्रत्यय) 'विधायिन्' = one who bestows/ordains

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal dark mountain labeled ‘mahāpāpa’ cracks as a luminous thunderbolt marked ‘Kāśī-nāma’ strikes; devotees with folded hands utter the name, and light radiates toward a distant Viśveśvara shrine and Gaṅgā.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Nāma (name-utterance)
• Pāpa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even remembrance and utterance of Kāśī’s name is taught as a potent purifier that destroys deep-rooted sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī itself, praised as pāpa-hara (sin-destroying) through its very name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāma-uccāra (uttering the holy name of Kāśī) is highlighted as a spiritually efficacious act.