Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

अवाप्य काशीं दुष्प्रापां को जहाति सचेतनः । रत्नं करस्थमुत्सृज्य कः काचं संजिघृक्षति

Transliteration

avāpya kāśīṃ duṣprāpāṃ ko jahāti sacetanaḥ | ratnaṃ karasthamutsṛjya kaḥ kācaṃ saṃjighṛkṣati

Translation

Setelah memperoleh Kāśī yang sukar dicapai, siapakah insan berakal akan meninggalkannya? Siapa yang membuang permata di tangan lalu mahu memungut kaca semata-mata?

Word by Word

• अवाप्य: having obtained
• अवाप्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धातु) → अवाप्य (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: आप् (to obtain) उपसर्ग: अव; ‘having obtained’

• काशीम्: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• काशीम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• दुष्प्रापाम्: hard to obtain
• दुष्प्रापाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्-प्राप (धातु) → दुष्प्राप (कृदन्त/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (काशीम्)

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• जहाति: abandons
• जहाति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सचेतनः: a sensible (conscious) person
• सचेतनः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-चेतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कः); समास: स + चेतन (one who is conscious)

• रत्नम्: a jewel
• रत्नम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• करस्थम्: held in the hand
• करस्थम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रत्नम्); समास: करस्य स्थम् (located in the hand)

• उत्सृज्य: having thrown away
• उत्सृज्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut-sṛj (धातु) → उत्सृज्य (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: सृज् (to release/abandon) उपसर्ग: उत्; ‘having cast away’

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• काचम्: glass
• काचम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• संजिघृक्षति: wishes to grasp
• संजिघृक्षति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-ग्रह् (धातु) → जिघृक्ष (इच्छार्थक-देशिदेरिवेटिव)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; देशिदेरिवेटिव/इच्छार्थक: ‘to wish to seize’; उपसर्ग: सम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa norm: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-seeking audience within the frame dialogue (commonly sages/Śaunaka-group in Purāṇic settings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands at the Gaṅgā-ghāṭa of Kāśī holding a radiant jewel in his palm while a dull shard of glass lies discarded; behind him rise temple spires and the glow of Viśveśvara’s presence.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is a supreme spiritual opportunity; abandoning it for lesser goals is portrayed as choosing glass over a jewel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is directly praised as duṣprāpā—rarely attained and of incomparable worth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the implied counsel is to remain devoted to Kāśī and not forsake its spiritual path.