Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

जिह्वाग्रे वर्तते यस्य काशीत्यक्षरयुग्मकम् । न तस्य गर्भवासः स्यात्क्वचिदेव सुमेधसः

Transliteration

jihvāgre vartate yasya kāśītyakṣarayugmakam | na tasya garbhavāsaḥ syātkvacideva sumedhasaḥ

Translation

ആരുടെ നാവിന്റെ അഗ്രത്തിൽ ‘കാശീ’ എന്ന ദ്വ്യക്ഷരി സ്ഥിരമായി വസിക്കുന്നുവോ, ആ സുമേധാവിക്ക് ഇനി ഒരിക്കലും ഗർഭവാസം ഉണ്ടാകുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• jihvāgre: on the tongue-tip
• jihvāgre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jihvā + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; जिह्वा-अग्रे=on the tip of the tongue (loc. sg.)

• vartate: exists/abides
• vartate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. pres. Ā.)

• yasya: of whom
• yasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (gen. sg.)

• kāśī: “Kāśī”
• kāśī: Karta (Quoted term/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उद्धृत-शब्द (quoted word)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative)

• akṣara-yugmakam: the pair of syllables
• akṣara-yugmakam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣara + yugmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अक्षर-युग्मकम्=pair of syllables (neut. sg.)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (gen. sg.)

• garbha-vāsaḥ: womb-dwelling (rebirth)
• garbha-vāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha + vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गर्भ-वासः=dwelling in the womb (masc. nom. sg.)

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. opt.)

• kvacit: ever/anywhere
• kvacit: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indefinite adverb), क्वचित्=ever/anywhere

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphasis)

• sumedhasaḥ: of the wise one
• sumedhasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + medhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सु-मेधसः=of the very intelligent (gen. sg.)

Speaker

Śiva (in the Kāśī-stavana context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (as mantra-nāma)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close focus on a devotee’s lips and tongue-tip where the syllables ‘Kā-śī’ appear as luminous letters; behind, a faint wheel of saṃsāra breaks, symbolizing the end of rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Constant remembrance and utterance of Kāśī’s name is portrayed as a direct means to freedom from rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), whose very name is treated as salvific.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāma-japa/constant utterance—keeping “Kāśī” on the tongue.