Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

किं विस्मृतं त्वहहगर्भजमामनस्यं कार्तांतदूतकृतबंधन ताडनं च । शंभोरनुग्रह परिग्रह लभ्य काशीं मूढो विहाय किमु याति करस्थ मुक्तिम्

Transliteration

kiṃ vismṛtaṃ tvahahagarbhajamāmanasyaṃ kārtāṃtadūtakṛtabaṃdhana tāḍanaṃ ca | śaṃbhoranugraha parigraha labhya kāśīṃ mūḍho vihāya kimu yāti karastha muktim

Translation

ତୁମେ—ହାୟ—ଗର୍ଭରୁ ଆରମ୍ଭ ହେଉଥିବା ଦୁଃଖ, ଏବଂ ଯମଦୂତମାନଙ୍କ କୃତ ବନ୍ଧନ ଓ ତାଡନକୁ ଭୁଲିଗଲ କି? କାଶୀ ତ ଶମ୍ଭୁଙ୍କ ଅନୁଗ୍ରହ-ସ୍ୱୀକାରରେ ମାତ୍ର ଲଭ୍ୟ। ତାହାକୁ ଛାଡ଼ି ମୂଢ ଲୋକ ହାତରେ ଥିବା ମୁକ୍ତିକୁ କିପରି ପାଇବ?

Word by Word

• kim: what?/why?
• kim: Karma/Predicate (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• vismṛtam: forgotten
• vismṛtam: Karma-sāmānādhikaraṇa (कर्मसमानााधिकरण/Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√smṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त) → vismṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'विस्मृतम्' = forgotten

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• ahaha: alas!
• ahaha: Exclamation (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahaha (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्गार (interjection), अव्यय

• garbha-jam: born from the womb
• garbha-jam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'गर्भात् जातम्'

• āmanasyam: mental affliction
• āmanasyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āmanasya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'आमानस्य' = mental affliction/unease (दुर्लभ-शब्द)

• kārtānta-dūta-kṛta-bandhanam: bondage made by Yama's messengers
• kārtānta-dūta-kṛta-bandhanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārtānta (प्रातिपदिक) + dūta (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त) + bandhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'कार्तान्तदूतैः कृतं बन्धनम्'

• tāḍanam: beating/torture
• tāḍanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √tāḍ (धातु) + lyuṭ (ल्युट्) → tāḍana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त-नाम (action noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• śaṃbhoḥ: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• anugraha-parigraham: grace and acceptance
• anugraha-parigraham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anugraha (प्रातिपदिक) + parigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर): 'अनुग्रहश्च परिग्रहश्च'

• labhya: having obtained
• labhya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; 'लभ्य' = having obtained/obtainable (context: having obtained)

• kāśīm: Kāśī
• kāśīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mūḍhaḥ: deluded
• mūḍhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūḍha (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vihāya: abandoning
• vihāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√hā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), 'विहाय' = having abandoned

• kimu: why then?
• kimu: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम) + u (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक निपातसमूह (interrogative particle)

• yāti: goes
• yāti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kara-sthām: in hand/at hand
• kara-sthām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक) + sthā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'करे स्थिता' = in hand/at hand

• muktim: liberation
• muktim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue convention: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame typical; not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark moral diptych: left—womb imagery and Yama’s messengers binding and striking a terrified soul; right—Śambhu’s compassionate gaze over Kāśī’s ghāṭas, placing ‘mukti’ like a jewel into the devotee’s open palm; a foolish figure turns away, symbolizing squandered grace.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Yama (Kṛtānta)
• Yamadūtas (messengers of Yama)
• Mukti (Mokṣa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remember saṁsāra’s suffering and Yama’s terrors; do not abandon Kāśī, which Śiva grants by grace and which offers near-at-hand liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), praised as a Śiva-granted sacred kṣetra where mokṣa is described as ‘karastha’—within one’s grasp.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is stated in this verse; the emphasis is on steadfast residence/attachment to Kāśī and reliance on Śiva’s anugraha (grace).