Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

अन्यानि मुक्तिक्षेत्राणि काशीप्राप्तिकराणि च । काशीं ध्यायमिमं श्रुत्वा नरो नियतमानसः । श्रावयित्वा द्विजांश्चापि श्रद्धाभक्तिसमन्वितान्

Transliteration

anyāni muktikṣetrāṇi kāśīprāptikarāṇi ca | kāśīṃ dhyāyamimaṃ śrutvā naro niyatamānasaḥ | śrāvayitvā dvijāṃścāpi śraddhābhaktisamanvitān

Translation

ଅନ୍ୟ ମୁକ୍ତିକ୍ଷେତ୍ରମାନେ ମଧ୍ୟ କାଶୀ-ପ୍ରାପ୍ତିର କାରଣ ହୁଅନ୍ତି। ଯେ ପୁରୁଷ ନିୟତମନେ କାଶୀକୁ ଧ୍ୟାନ କରି ଏହି ବୃତ୍ତାନ୍ତ ଶୁଣେ ଏବଂ ଶ୍ରଦ୍ଧା-ଭକ୍ତିଯୁକ୍ତ ଦ୍ୱିଜମାନଙ୍କୁ ମଧ୍ୟ ଶୁଣାଏ, ସେ କାଶୀ-ପ୍ରାପ୍ତି ଓ ମୋକ୍ଷକୁ ନେଇଯାଉଥିବା ପୁଣ୍ୟ ଲାଭ କରେ।

Word by Word

• anyāni: other
• anyāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), बहुवचन (Plural)

• mukti-kṣetrāṇi: liberation-fields (holy places granting liberation)
• mukti-kṣetrāṇi: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kāśī-prāpti-karāṇi: causing attainment of Kāśī
• kāśī-prāpti-karāṇi: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक) + prāpti (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• kāśīm: Kāśī
• kāśīm: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन (Singular)

• dhyāya: meditate (you should meditate)
• dhyāya: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhyai (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• imam: this
• imam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन (Singular)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन (Singular)

• niyata-mānasaḥ: with disciplined mind
• niyata-mānasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niyata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन (Singular)

• śrāvayitvā: having caused (others) to hear / having recited to
• śrāvayitvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śru (धातु) [णिच् causative: śrāvayati]
• Form: णिच्-क्त्वान्त अव्यय (causative gerund)

• dvijān: Brahmins / twice-born
• dvijān: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भावक अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• śraddhā-bhakti-samanvitān: endowed with faith and devotion
• śraddhā-bhakti-samanvitān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined devotee seated in meditation, visualizing Kāśī’s ghāṭas and Viśvanātha, while a reciter chants the Kāśī-māhātmya to an assembly of śraddhā-bhakti-yukta Brāhmaṇas; the ‘inner pilgrimage’ mirrors the outer city.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Dvija (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

With faith, disciplined attention, and devotion, hearing and transmitting Kāśī’s māhātmya becomes a powerful means toward liberation-oriented merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is central; other mukti-kṣetras are praised insofar as they become conduits leading to Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (hearing) and śrāvaṇa/pravacana (causing others—especially faithful dvijas—to hear/recite) of the Kāśī-māhātmya, along with meditation on Kāśī.