Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

यैः श्रुता यैः स्मृता वीर यैर्दृष्टा मणिकर्णिका । त एव कृतिनो लोके कृतकृत्यास्त एव हि

Transliteration

yaiḥ śrutā yaiḥ smṛtā vīra yairdṛṣṭā maṇikarṇikā | ta eva kṛtino loke kṛtakṛtyāsta eva hi

Translation

ഹേ വീരാ, ആരെല്ലാം മണികർണികയെക്കുറിച്ച് ശ്രവിച്ചോ, സ്മരിച്ചോ, ദർശിച്ചോ—അവരേ ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ ധന്യർ; അവരേ കൃതകൃത്യർ.

Word by Word

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana/Agent (by whom/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• श्रुता: (has been) heard
• श्रुता: Kriya (in implied passive/participial predication)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुत (प्रातिपदिक; श्रु (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त; कर्तरि/कर्मणि-भावे ‘heard’; कर्तृ-सम्बन्धे (मणिकर्णिका)

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana/Agent (by whom/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• स्मृता: (has been) remembered
• स्मृता: Kriya (in implied passive/participial predication)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मृत (प्रातिपदिक; स्मृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त; ‘remembered’ (मणिकर्णिका)

• वीर: O hero
• वीर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana/Agent (by whom/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• दृष्टा: (has been) seen
• दृष्टा: Kriya (in implied passive/participial predication)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; दृश् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त; ‘seen’ (मणिकर्णिका)

• मणिकर्णिका: Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणि + कर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; नाम

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• कृतिनः: fortunate/meritorious
• कृतिनः: Predicate nominative (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘fortunate/meritorious persons’

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• कृतकृत्याः: having accomplished what is to be done
• कृतकृत्याः: Predicate nominative (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत + कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (कृतं कृत्यं येषाम्)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Reasserted subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha/Reason marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/reason)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘vīra’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three devotees: one listening to a recitation about Maṇikarṇikā, one meditating and remembering, one standing at the ghāṭa seeing it—each surrounded by a subtle halo labeled ‘kṛtī’ and ‘kṛtakṛtya’.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Kāśī/Varanasi (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with a liberating tīrtha—through hearing, remembrance, or direct sight—is itself counted as a meaningful spiritual accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (hearing), smaraṇa (remembering), and darśana (seeing) of Maṇikarṇikā are praised as spiritually efficacious acts.