Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

काशीनामसुधापानं ये कुर्वंति निरंतरम् । तेषां वर्त्म भवत्येव सुधाम वसुधामयम्

Transliteration

kāśīnāmasudhāpānaṃ ye kurvaṃti niraṃtaram | teṣāṃ vartma bhavatyeva sudhāma vasudhāmayam

Translation

കാശീനാമസുധ നിരന്തരം പാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവരുടെ പാത തന്നെ സുധാമയമാകുന്നു—ഭൂമിയേയും മധുരധാമമാക്കുന്നതുപോലെ।

Word by Word

• काशी-नाम-सुधा-पानम्: drinking the nectar of Kāśī’s name
• काशी-नाम-सुधा-पानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी-नाम-सुधा-पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (काश्याः नाम एव सुधा, तस्य पानम्)

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• कुर्वन्ति: do, perform
• कुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• निरन्तरम्: continuously
• निरन्तरम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: निरन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• वर्त्म: path, course
• वर्त्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्त्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भवति: becomes, is
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• एव: indeed, certainly
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic/only)

• सुधाम: nectar-like
• सुधाम: Karma (Object complement/कर्मपूरक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुधा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमेय/विशेषणार्थे (वर्त्म इति)

• वसुधा-मयम्: earth-like / consisting of the earth (i.e., solid, sustaining)
• वसुधा-मयम्: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वसुधा-मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वर्त्म इति); समासः तत्पुरुषः (वसुधायाः मयम्/वसुधारूपम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (nāma-sudhā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī or interlocutor in Kāśī-khaṇḍa frame (context-dependent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim walks a dusty road; with each utterance of ‘Kāśī’ the ground beneath turns luminous like flowing nectar, flowers spring up, and the horizon reveals Kāśī’s spires—earth transformed into sweetness.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Continuous remembrance of Kāśī through her name sweetens and sanctifies one’s entire life-journey.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), specifically via the potency of her nāma (name).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nirantara nāma-japa—unceasing repetition/absorption in the name of Kāśī.