Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

जीर्णोद्धारादिकरणमक्षय्यफलहेतुकम् । त्वं तु राज्यं परं प्राप्य सर्वभूपालदुर्लभम्

Transliteration

jīrṇoddhārādikaraṇamakṣayyaphalahetukam | tvaṃ tu rājyaṃ paraṃ prāpya sarvabhūpāladurlabham

Translation

ജീർണ്ണോദ്ധാരാദി പ്രവർത്തികൾ അക്ഷയ പുണ്യഫലത്തിന് കാരണമാകുന്നു. നീയോ സർവ്വ രാജാക്കന്മാർക്കും ദുർലഭമായ പരമരാജ്യം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• जीर्णोद्धारादि-करणम्: the act of renovation etc.
• जीर्णोद्धारादि-करणम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्धार (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + करण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष-समासः (जीर्णोद्धारादीनां करणम् = doing repairs etc.)

• अक्षय्य-फल-हेतुकम्: causing imperishable fruit
• अक्षय्य-फल-हेतुकम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय्य (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषः (अक्षय्यस्य फलस्य हेतुः)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुषार्थे सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• राज्यम्: kingdom
• राज्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• परम्: supreme/excellent
• परम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त/अव्ययभाव)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष ‘ल्यप्’ (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having obtained)

• सर्व-भूपाल-दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain even for all kings
• सर्व-भूपाल-दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भूपाल (प्रातिपदिक) + दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वैः भूपालैः दुर्लभम्)

Speaker

Śiva (as Liṅga)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A patron oversees restoration of a weathered shrine and ghāṭ masonry; artisans work while priests bless the undertaking; the patron is shown receiving royal insignia, symbolizing rare kingship as fruit of dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Jīrṇoddhāra (temple restoration)
• Kingship

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service to sacred infrastructure (like restoration) is dharma that yields imperishable spiritual reward.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred field where acts like jīrṇoddhāra become akṣaya (undiminishing) in result.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jīrṇoddhāra (repair/renovation) and related pious works are praised as akṣayya-phala-hetu.