Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

मानुष्यं प्राप्य यं मूढा निमेषमितजीवितम् । न सेवंते पुरीं काशीं ते मुष्टा मंदबुद्धयः

Transliteration

mānuṣyaṃ prāpya yaṃ mūḍhā nimeṣamitajīvitam | na sevaṃte purīṃ kāśīṃ te muṣṭā maṃdabuddhayaḥ

Translation

നിമിഷമാത്രം ക്ഷണഭംഗുരമായ മനുഷ്യജന്മം ലഭിച്ചിട്ടും കാശീപുരിയെ സേവിക്കാത്ത മൂഢർ ദയനീയരും മന്ദബുദ്ധികളും ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मानुष्यम्: human state; human birth
• मानुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभाव

• यम्: which/whom
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रयोग (relative pronoun)

• मूढाः: the deluded; fools
• मूढाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेष्यवत् (used substantively: ‘fools’)

• निमेषमितजीवितम्: having life measured in a blink (very short-lived)
• निमेषमितजीवितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निमेष-मित-जीवित (प्रातिपदिक; निमेष + मित + जीवित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (निमेषेण मितं जीवितं यस्य); विशेषण (यम्/मानुष्यम्)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• सेवन्ते: they serve/visit
• सेवन्ते: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• पुरीम्: city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object apposition/कर्म-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; पुरीम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषण/समानााधिकरण

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• मुष्टाः: wretched; contemptible
• मुष्टाः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (ते)

• मन्दबुद्धयः: dull-witted ones
• मन्दबुद्धयः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्द-बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक; मन्द + बुद्धि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (मन्दा बुद्धिः येषाम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General audience; especially householders delaying pilgrimage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: a wise speaker gestures toward Kāśī’s shining temples while some distracted people turn away; the contrast highlights the pity of missing a fleeting chance—time symbolized by a setting sun and a blinking eye motif.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Human birth

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is fleeting; failing to seek the liberating refuge of Kāśī is portrayed as spiritual negligence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-purī (the city of Kāśī/Vārāṇasī), explicitly named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sevā of Kāśī-purī is urged—practically implying pilgrimage, reverent residence, worship, and disciplined conduct in the sacred city.