Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

आनुसूयेय ते ज्ञानं काशीस्तवन पुण्यतः । यथेदानीं समुत्पन्नं तथा न तपसः पुरा

Transliteration

ānusūyeya te jñānaṃ kāśīstavana puṇyataḥ | yathedānīṃ samutpannaṃ tathā na tapasaḥ purā

Translation

ഹേ അനസൂയാപുത്രാ! കാശീസ്തവനത്തിന്റെ പുണ്യപ്രഭാവത്താൽ നിനക്കുള്ളിൽ ഇപ്പോൾ ഉദിച്ച ജ്ഞാനം, മുമ്പ് വെറും തപസ്സുകൊണ്ട് ഒരിക്കലും ഉദിച്ചിരുന്നില്ല।

Word by Word

• ānusūyeya: O Anusūyā
• ānusūyeya: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānusūyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन (Singular)

• te: of you / your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• jñānam: knowledge
• jñānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• kāśī-stavanam: praise of Kāśī
• kāśī-stavanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक) + stavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Genitive determinative)

• puṇyataḥ: by virtue of merit / due to holiness
• puṇyataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: 'from/through merit')

• yathā: as
• yathā: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), उपमान/साम्यवाचक (comparative particle)

• idānīm: now
• idānīm: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: idānīm (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• samutpannam: arisen, produced
• samutpannam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ut-√pad (धातु) → samutpanna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृत् (Past participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying jñānam)

• tathā: so, in that manner
• tathā: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), तद्वत्/एवम्-अर्थक (correlative adverb)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), निषेध (negation particle)

• tapasaḥ: of austerity / of penance
• tapasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• purā: formerly, before
• purā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), कालवाचक (temporal adverb: formerly)

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Durvāsas, son of Anasūyā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Ānandakānana/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Anasūyā’s son (a sage addressed as muni/tāpasa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage addressed as Anasūyā’s son receives a sudden dawning of knowledge while the luminous city-forest of Kāśī/Ānandakānana glows behind, suggesting that the kṣetra itself bestows insight.

Characters & Entities

• Anasūyā
• Durvāsas
• Kāśī
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit gained by glorifying a sacred kṣetra like Kāśī can awaken higher knowledge more effectively than austerity alone.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), whose stavana generates puṇya and jñāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kāśī-stavana (reciting praise of Kāśī) is highlighted as a meritorious practice.