Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

समागच्छदथैकाकी काशीं श्रेयोविकासिनीम् । धर्मेश्वरं समाराध्य कालान्निर्वाणमाप्तवान्

Transliteration

samāgacchadathaikākī kāśīṃ śreyovikāsinīm | dharmeśvaraṃ samārādhya kālānnirvāṇamāptavān

Translation

പിന്നീട് അവൻ ഏകാകിയായി ശ്രേയസ്സിനെ വികാസിപ്പിക്കുന്ന കാശിയിലേക്കു വന്നു. ഭക്തിയോടെ ധർമ്മേശ്വരനെ ആരാധിച്ച്, കാലക്രമത്തിൽ നിർവാണം (പരമമോക്ഷം) പ്രാപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• samāgacchat: he came
• samāgacchat: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): अथ (then/now)

• ekākī: alone
• ekākī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka-ākī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: एकः + आकी/आकिन् (alone); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kāśīm: Kashi
• kāśīm: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• śreyovikāsinīm: that which makes welfare flourish
• śreyovikāsinīm: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreyas-vikāsinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: श्रेयसः विकासिनी (causing the blossoming of welfare); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (qualifying kāśīm)

• dharmeśvaram: Lord Dharmeśvara
• dharmeśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: धर्मस्य ईश्वरः; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• samārādhya: having worshipped
• samārādhya: Kriya-viseshana (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-rādh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): समाराध्य (having worshipped/propitiated)

• kālāt: in due course
• kālāt: Apadana (Source/Time-from)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (Ablative): कालात् (in due course/after time)

• nirvāṇam: liberation
• nirvāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirvāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• āptavān: attained
• āptavān: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्यय: क्तवतु (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘प्राप्तवान्’ (having attained)

Speaker

Skanda (narration context: Kāśīkhaṇḍa, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone former king enters the sacred city of Kāśī at dawn, ghāṭas and temples visible; he approaches Dharmēśvara shrine, offers flowers and water, absorbed in devotion; time passes and liberation is implied.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Dharmēśvara
• Durdama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a mokṣa-giving kṣetra; devotion to Dharmēśvara and renunciation culminate in liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) and the shrine of Dharmēśvara within it.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samārādhana (devotional worship/propitiation) of Dharmēśvara.