Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अशाश्वतमिदं ज्ञात्वा मानुष्यं बहुकिल्बिषम् । अविमुक्तं निषेवेत संसारभयनाशनम्

Transliteration

aśāśvatamidaṃ jñātvā mānuṣyaṃ bahukilbiṣam | avimuktaṃ niṣeveta saṃsārabhayanāśanam

Translation

हे मानुष्यजीवन अशाश्वत व अनेक दोषांनी युक्त आहे असे जाणून, संसारभय नाश करणाऱ्या अविमुक्ताचे सेवन करावे.

Word by Word

• अशाश्वतम्: impermanent
• अशाश्वतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of idam/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-शाश्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object of jñātvā/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), धातु: ज्ञा; अर्थ: having known

• मानुष्यम्: human life/state
• मानुष्यम्: Karma (Object understood: this human life/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• बहुकिल्बिषम्: full of many sins
• बहुकिल्बिषम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of mānuṣyam/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + किल्बिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (बहु किल्बिषं यस्मिन्/that which has much sin)

• अविमुक्तम्: Avimukta (Kāśī)
• अविमुक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (Avimukta = Kāśī)

• निषेवेत: should resort to
• निषेवेत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√सेव् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; विध्यर्थ (should resort to)

• संसारभयनाशनम्: destroyer of fear of worldly existence
• संसारभयनाशनम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of avimuktam/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (संसारस्य भयस्य नाशनम् = destroyer of fear of saṃsāra)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A renunciant/householder contemplating a skull/withering flower (anityatā) then turning toward the luminous map-like vision of Avimukta—Viśveśvara temple and Gaṅgā—signifying chosen refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta
• Saṃsāra
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Impermanence should turn one toward a liberating refuge—Avimukta/Kāśī—rather than toward transient worldly aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta Kṣetra within Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), famed as Śiva’s ‘never-abandoned’ sacred ground.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general prescription: ‘niṣeveta’—to dwell in, visit, and devote oneself to Avimukta (pilgrimage/holy residence implied).