Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

कृच्छ्रचांद्रायणाद्यैश्च यच्छ्रेयः समुपार्ज्यते । तदेकेनोपवासेन भवत्वानंदकानने

Transliteration

kṛcchracāṃdrāyaṇādyaiśca yacchreyaḥ samupārjyate | tadekenopavāsena bhavatvānaṃdakānane

Translation

कृच्छ्र, चांद्रायण इत्यादी कठोर व्रतांनी जे श्रेय मिळते, ते आनंदकाननात एका उपवासानेच प्राप्त होवो।

Word by Word

• कृच्छ्रचांद्रायणाद्यैः: by Kṛcchra, Cāndrāyaṇa and other (penances)
• कृच्छ्रचांद्रायणाद्यैः: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र + चान्द्रायण + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; बहुवचन (instr pl); कृच्छ्र-चान्द्रायण-आदि-तपःभिः = 'by Kṛcchra, Cāndrāyaṇa, etc.'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma/Pratipadyam (Correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (rel. pronoun: 'which/that')

• श्रेयः: the highest good/benefit
• श्रेयः: Karma (Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (neut nom/acc sg)

• समुपार्ज्यते: is obtained
• समुपार्ज्यते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उप-आ√र्ज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive); आत्मनेपद (3rd sg: 'is obtained/earned')

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma/Pratipadyam (That to be realized)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (demonstrative: 'that')

• एकेन: by a single
• एकेन: Visheshana (Quantifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (instr sg: 'by one/single')

• उपवासेन: fast
• उपवासेन: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपवास (प्रातिपदिक; उप + √वस् + घञ्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (instr sg)

• भवतु: let it be
• भवतु: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd sg: 'let it be')

• आनन्दकानने: O (Lord of) the grove of bliss
• आनन्दकानने: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्दकानन (प्रातिपदिक; आनन्द + कानन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन (voc sg)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandavana

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tranquil sacred grove in Kāśī—Ānandavana—where a fasting devotee sits beneath a bilva tree; Śiva’s presence is felt as cool light, while symbols of kṛcchra and cāndrāyaṇa austerities dissolve into that light.

Characters & Entities

• Ānandavana (Kāśī)
• Kṛcchra
• Cāndrāyaṇa
• Upavāsa (fasting)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sacred power compresses arduous disciplines—small austerities there yield great results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānandavana, the ‘bliss-forest’ identified with Kāśī’s sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A single upavāsa (fast) in Ānandavana is extolled as equivalent to major penances.