Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

मोक्षलक्ष्मीविलासाख्य प्रासादस्य विलोकनात् । शरीराद्दूरतो याति ब्रह्महत्यापि नान्यथा

Transliteration

mokṣalakṣmīvilāsākhya prāsādasya vilokanāt | śarīrāddūrato yāti brahmahatyāpi nānyathā

Translation

‘മോക്ഷലക്ഷ്മീവിലാസ’ എന്ന പ്രാസാദത്തെ വെറും ദർശനം ചെയ്താൽ മാത്രം ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യാപാപം പോലും ശരീരത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ദൂരെയായി നീങ്ങിപ്പോകുന്നു—ഇതല്ലാതെ മറ്റൊന്നുമില്ല।

Word by Word

• मोक्षलक्ष्मीविलासाख्य: (of) the one named ‘Mokṣa-Lakṣmī-Vilāsa’
• मोक्षलक्ष्मीविलासाख्य: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोक्ष + लक्ष्मी + विलास + आख्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √ख्या (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular used as qualifier of ‘प्रासादस्य’: ‘of the palace named…’)

• प्रासादस्य: of the palace
• प्रासादस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine genitive singular)

• विलोकनात्: from seeing; by the sight of
• विलोकनात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विलोकन (प्रातिपदिक; from वि + √लोक् (धातु))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter ablative singular)

• शरीरात्: from the body
• शरीरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter ablative singular)

• दूरतः: far away
• दूरतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरतः (अव्यय; from दूर)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘from afar/at a distance’)

• याति: goes away, departs
• याति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (present, 3rd singular, active)

• ब्रह्महत्या: the sin of brahmin-slaying (brahmahatyā)
• ब्रह्महत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः हत्या) (feminine nominative singular)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षाबोधक अव्यय (even)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘otherwise’)

Speaker

Narrator/quoted description within Kāśīkhaṇḍa, continuing the praise of the Mokṣalakṣmīvilāsa prāsāda in Kāśī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣalakṣmīvilāsa Prāsāda

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim (or the narrator figure) gazes upon the radiant palace; from the body, a dark shadow labeled ‘brahmahatyā’ is shown fleeing into the distance, while the palace glows with mokṣa-light.

Characters & Entities

• Mokṣalakṣmīvilāsa (palace)
• Brahmahatyā (grave sin)
• Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sacred power is such that even mere darśana of a sanctified locus can drive away grave sin, emphasizing the city’s extraordinary purificatory grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mokṣalakṣmīvilāsa-named prāsāda (palace/edifice) within Kāśī’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (beholding/visiting for sight) is implied as the efficacious devotional act; no further rite is specified in this verse.