Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

यद्वाच्यं बहुभिर्ग्रंथैस्तदष्टाभिरिहाक्षरैः । हरिणोक्तं रविपुरः कैवल्यं काशिसंस्थितौ

Transliteration

yadvācyaṃ bahubhirgraṃthaistadaṣṭābhirihākṣaraiḥ | hariṇoktaṃ ravipuraḥ kaivalyaṃ kāśisaṃsthitau

Translation

അനവധി ഗ്രന്ഥങ്ങൾ പറയാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുന്ന സാരം ഇവിടെ എട്ട് അക്ഷരങ്ങളിൽ തന്നെ പറയുന്നു—രവിയുടെ സന്നിധിയിൽ ഹരി പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു: ‘കാശിയിൽ വസിക്കുന്നവന് കൈവല്യം ലഭിക്കുന്നു.’

Word by Word

• yat: that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• vācyam: to be expressed / expressible
• vācyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vac (धातु) + ya (प्रत्यय) → vācya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावे यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), ‘to be said/expressible’

• bahubhiḥ: by many
• bahubhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• granthaiḥ: by texts / treatises
• granthaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grantha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ सर्वनाम

• aṣṭābhiḥ: with eight
• aṣṭābhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭan (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• akṣaraiḥ: by syllables/letters
• akṣaraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• hariṇā: by Hari
• hariṇā: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• uktam: said / spoken
• uktam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vac (धातु) → ukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• ravipuraḥ: Ravipura (the city of the Sun)
• ravipuraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ravi (प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘raveḥ puram’)

• kaivalyam: liberation / absolute isolation
• kaivalyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaivalya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• kāśi-saṃsthitau: when situated in Kāśī / in Kāśī
• kāśi-saṃsthitau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; ‘kāśyāṃ saṃsthita’ इति सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष; स्थानवाचक (locative)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hari (Viṣṇu) proclaims before Ravi (Sūrya) a mantra-like statement of eight syllables, with Kāśī envisioned as a radiant kṣetra behind them—ghāṭas, a liṅga of Viśveśvara, and the Ganga’s shimmer suggesting liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Ravi (Sūrya)
• Kāśī
• Kaivalya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s greatness is summarized as the essence of many scriptures: abiding in Kāśī leads to kaivalya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), specifically the merit of ‘Kāśī-saṃsthiti’ (dwelling/abiding there).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it emphasizes residence/abiding in Kāśī as a spiritually decisive act.