Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

तूर्णं प्रहिणु मां नाथ विश्वनाथपुरीं प्रति । प्राणाः प्रयाता प्रागेव वपुः शेषास्मि केवलम्

Transliteration

tūrṇaṃ prahiṇu māṃ nātha viśvanāthapurīṃ prati | prāṇāḥ prayātā prāgeva vapuḥ śeṣāsmi kevalam

Translation

ହେ ନାଥ, ମୋତେ ଶୀଘ୍ର ବିଶ୍ୱନାଥପୁରୀ (କାଶୀ) ପ୍ରତି ପଠାନ୍ତୁ। ମୋ ପ୍ରାଣ ଯେନେ ପୂର୍ବରୁ ହିଁ ଚାଲିଗଲା; କେବଳ ଏହି ଦେହଟି ମାତ୍ର ଶେଷ ରହିଛି।

Word by Word

• तूर्णम्: quickly
• तूर्णम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूर्णम् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/रीति-वाचक-अव्यय — adverb “quickly”

• प्रहिणु: send
• प्रहिणु: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + हि (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Imperative, 2nd singular, active; (प्रहिणु = प्रेषय)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• नाथ: O lord
• नाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative singular

• विश्वनाथपुरीम्: to the city of Viśvanātha (Kāśī)
• विश्वनाथपुरीम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वनाथ (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः “विश्वनाथस्य पुरी” — Feminine, Accusative singular

• प्रति: towards
• प्रति: Sambandha (Direction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय/दिशावाचक — preposition “towards” (governing accusative)

• प्राणाः: vital breaths/life-forces
• प्राणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural

• प्रयाताः: have departed
• प्रयाताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + या (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृत् (past participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — Past participle, Masculine Nom. plural; (अत्र क्रियापदवत्) “have gone”

• प्राक्: already before
• प्राक्: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राक् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय — “before/earlier”

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय — emphatic “indeed/just”

• वपुः: body
• वपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative singular

• शेषः: remaining
• शेषः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular; (अहम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्) “remaining”

• अस्मि: am
• अस्मि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 1st singular

• केवलम्: only/merely
• केवलम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणवत् प्रयोगः — used adverbially “only/merely”

Speaker

Kalāvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśvanātha-purī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Husband addressed as nātha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A poignant scene: a frail devotee implores her lord to send her at once to Kāśī; her face shows fading vitality, yet eyes burn with devotion; the road to Kāśī is imagined like a luminous path.

Characters & Entities

• Kalāvatī
• Viśvanātha
• Viśvanātha-purī
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to Kāśī is portrayed as an urgent, life-defining spiritual priority—sought as the soul’s final refuge in Śiva’s city.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśvanātha-purī—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), the city of Lord Viśvanātha (Śiva).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is named; the prescription is the yātrā itself—going to Kāśī/Viśvanātha’s city with urgency.