Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि काशीवासेषु यत्फलम् । तत्फलं निमिषार्द्धेन कलौ दाशरथीं पुरीम्

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi kāśīvāseṣu yatphalam | tatphalaṃ nimiṣārddhena kalau dāśarathīṃ purīm

Translation

കാശിയിൽ അറുപതിനായിരം വർഷം വസിച്ചതാൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന ഫലം, കലിയുഗത്തിൽ ദശരഥന്റെ നഗരമായ അയോധ്യയെ ആശ്രയിച്ചാൽ അർദ്ധനിമിഷത്തിൽ തന്നെ ലഭിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• षष्टि: sixty
• षष्टि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; समासपूर्वपदत्वेन (numeral stem)

• वर्ष: years
• वर्ष: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रातिपदिक (year) — समासाङ्ग

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Karma/Prameya (Object/measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचन (Nominative/Accusative plural)

• षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि: sixty-thousand years (lit. thousands of sixty years)
• षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि: Karma/Prameya (Object/measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्टि + वर्ष + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचन; षष्टिवर्षाणां सहस्राणि (genitive-tatpuruṣa sense)

• काशी: Kāśī
• काशी: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (place-name stem)

• वासेषु: in residences/dwelling
• वासेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी बहुवचन (Locative plural)

• काशीवासेषु: in dwelling in Kāśī
• काशीवासेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी + वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी बहुवचन; काश्यां वासः (locative-tatpuruṣa)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma/Prameya (Object/result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• यत्फलम्: whatever fruit (result)
• यत्फलम्: Karma/Prameya (Object/result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; यत् फलम् तत् (relative compound-like sandhi)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma/Prameya (Object/result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• तत्फलम्: that same fruit
• तत्फलम्: Karma/Prameya (Object/result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; तत् फलम् (determinative)

• निमिष: a moment (blink)
• निमिष: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (moment/blink)

• अर्द्धेन: by half
• अर्द्धेन: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्द्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन (Instrumental sg.)

• निमिषार्द्धेन: in half a moment
• निमिषार्द्धेन: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमिष + अर्द्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन; निमिषस्य अर्द्धम् (genitive-tatpuruṣa)

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन (Locative sg.)

• दाशरथीम्: of Daśaratha (Ayodhyā)
• दाशरथीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दाशरथी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Accusative sg.)

• पुरीम्: city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Accusative sg.)

Speaker

Varāha (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā (Daśaratha-purī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic scale of merit: on one side, Kāśī with countless years symbolized by a long scroll; on the other, Ayodhyā glowing, granting the same fruit in a blink; above, Kali-yuga shadow is pierced by Ayodhyā’s light.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Ayodhyā
• Daśaratha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ayodhyā’s sanctity is so exalted in Kali Yuga that even brief contact with it yields immense merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā (Daśaratha’s city), compared directly with Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is mandated here; the emphasis is on resorting to/being present in Ayodhyā even briefly.