Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

स कृत्वा क्षेत्रसंन्यासं त्यजेन्नाद्यापि काशिकाम् । तत्त्वं क्षेत्रस्य विज्ञाय निर्वाणपददायिनः

Transliteration

sa kṛtvā kṣetrasaṃnyāsaṃ tyajennādyāpi kāśikām | tattvaṃ kṣetrasya vijñāya nirvāṇapadadāyinaḥ

Translation

അവൻ ക്ഷേത്രസന്ന്യാസം സ്വീകരിച്ചിട്ടും ഇന്നുവരെ കാശികയെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചില്ല; കാരണം നിർവാണപദം നൽകുന്ന ആ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിന്റെ തത്ത്വം അവൻ അറിഞ്ഞിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having done)

• क्षेत्रसंन्यासम्: renunciation of the sacred field (kṣetra)
• क्षेत्रसंन्यासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + संन्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रस्य संन्यासः)

• त्यजेत्: should abandon
• त्यजेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• काशिकाम्: Kāśikā (Kāśī)
• काशिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तत्त्वम्: the true nature/principle
• तत्त्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the sacred field
• क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• विज्ञाय: having understood
• विज्ञाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having understood)

• निर्वाणपददायिनः: of the giver of the state of liberation
• निर्वाणपददायिनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक) + पद (प्रातिपदिक) + दायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (निर्वाणपदं ददाति इति)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśikā (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A renouncer in Kāśī taking a vow of kṣetra-sannyāsa, seated facing a liṅga with the pañcākṣarī on lips, the ghāṭs and temple spires behind, conveying unshakable resolve to remain in the mokṣa-kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśikā (Kāśī/Varanasi)
• Vyāsa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a liberation-giving kṣetra; knowing its metaphysical truth inspires lifelong commitment to the dhāma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśikā (Kāśī / Vārāṇasī) itself as the mokṣa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kṣetra-saṃnyāsa—taking a vow of renunciation dedicated to residing in/serving the holy kṣetra (as a sacred commitment).