Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

वाराणसी तीर्थमयी समस्ता यस्यास्तुनामापि हि तीर्थतीर्थम् । तत्रापि काचिन्मम सौख्यभूमिर्महापवित्रा मणिकर्णिकासौ

Transliteration

vārāṇasī tīrthamayī samastā yasyāstunāmāpi hi tīrthatīrtham | tatrāpi kācinmama saukhyabhūmirmahāpavitrā maṇikarṇikāsau

Translation

വാരാണസി മുഴുവനും തീർത്ഥമയമാണ്; അതിന്റെ നാമം മാത്രം പോലും ‘തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ തീർത്ഥം’. അതിനകത്തും എന്റെ ആനന്ദഭൂമിയായ ഒരു പ്രത്യേക സ്ഥലം ഉണ്ട്—അതേ മഹാപവിത്രമായ മണികർണിക.

Word by Word

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तीर्थमयी: full of tīrthas
• तीर्थमयी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मयट्-प्रत्ययान्त (made of/filled with); विशेषणम्

• समस्ता: entire
• समस्ता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• यस्याः: of which/whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative pronoun)

• अस्तु: may be / let it be
• अस्तु: Kriyā (Optative/imperative assertion)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karta/Karma (Topic: ‘name’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• तीर्थतीर्थम्: the tīrtha among tīrthas
• तीर्थतीर्थम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (tīrtha of tīrthas = best tīrtha)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (also)

• काचित्: a certain (one)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक-सर्वनाम (some)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सौख्यभूमिः: (my) place of happiness
• सौख्यभूमिः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौख्य + भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ground/place of happiness)

• महापवित्रा: greatly holy
• महापवित्रा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (very pure); विशेषणम्

• मणिकर्णिका: Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिका: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• असौ: that (is)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/identifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देशार्थक-सर्वनाम (that/this)

Speaker

Śiva/Viśvanātha (deduced from ‘mama saukhya-bhūmiḥ’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) and Maṇikarṇikā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic sacred cityscape where every lane and ghāṭa is depicted as a tīrtha-spring; the word ‘Vārāṇasī’ appears as a luminous mantra in the sky; Maṇikarṇikā is highlighted with a radiant aura over the steps and water.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Maṇikarṇikā
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as intrinsically sacred, with Maṇikarṇikā highlighted as an especially purifying and beloved locus within it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) in general, and Maṇikarṇikā in particular.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse functions to inspire tīrtha-yātrā and reverence for Maṇikarṇikā as a purifier.