Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 200
Devanagari script
विलोक्य काशीं परितो मायाद्विजवपुर्हरिः । भूयोभूयो विचार्यापि किमत्रातीव पावनम्
Transliteration
vilokya kāśīṃ parito māyādvijavapurhariḥ | bhūyobhūyo vicāryāpi kimatrātīva pāvanam
Translation
ഹരി മായാബലാൽ ബ്രാഹ്മണദേഹം ധരിച്ചു കാശിയെ ചുറ്റും നിരീക്ഷിച്ചു. വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും ആലോചിച്ച്—“ഇവിടെ അത്യന്തം പാവനമായത് എന്ത്?” എന്നു വിചാരിച്ചു।
Word by Word
vilokyahaving looked at
vilokya:
Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
TypeVerb
Rootvi + lok (धातु)
Formक्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भाव (Gerund/absolutive), ‘having seen’
kāśīmKāśī (Vārāṇasī)
kāśīm:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootkāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
paritaḥall around
paritaḥ:
Avyaya (Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootparitaḥ (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)
māyāby illusion, through māyā
māyā:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootmāyā (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन
dvija-vapuḥa brāhmaṇa-form
dvija-vapuḥ:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootdvija (प्रातिपदिक) + vapuḥ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dvijasya vapuḥ = ‘body/form of a brāhmaṇa’)
hariḥHari (Viṣṇu)
hariḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roothari (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
bhūyaḥagain, repeatedly
bhūyaḥ:
Avyaya (Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootbhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)
bhūyaḥagain and again
bhūyaḥ:
Avyaya (Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootbhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, पुनरुक्ति-बल (reduplication for emphasis)
vicāryahaving considered
vicārya:
Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
TypeVerb
Rootvi + car (धातु)
Formक्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भाव (Gerund), ‘having reflected/considered’
apialso
api:
Avyaya (Particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
Formनिपात (particle), ‘also/even’
kimwhat?
kim:
Karma/Prashna (Interrogative object)
TypeNoun
Rootkim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative)
atrahere, in this (place)
atra:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootatra (अव्यय)
Formदेशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)
atīvaexceedingly
atīva:
Avyaya (Intensifier)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootatīva (अव्यय)
Formपरिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (intensifier adverb)
pāvanampurifying, holy
pāvanam:
Visheshana (Predicate qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootpāvana (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)
Speaker
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Characters & Entities
K
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)H
Hari (Viṣṇu)B
Brāhmaṇa (dvija)FAQs
Even great deities contemplate Kāśī’s unique purity, highlighting its extraordinary power to sanctify and liberate.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is explicitly glorified as ‘supremely purifying’ (atīva pāvana).
No direct ritual is stated; the verse sets a narrative context of inquiry into Kāśī’s purifying principle.