Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

पुराविदः प्रशंसंति त्वां महामोहहारिणीम् । काशींत्विति न जानंति महामोहनभूरियम्

Transliteration

purāvidaḥ praśaṃsaṃti tvāṃ mahāmohahāriṇīm | kāśīṃtviti na jānaṃti mahāmohanabhūriyam

Translation

ਪੁਰਾਤਨ ਵਿਦਿਆ ਦੇ ਜਾਣਕਾਰ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਮਹਾ-ਮੋਹ ਹਰਨ ਵਾਲੀ ਕਹਿ ਕੇ ਸਲਾਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਨ; ਪਰ ‘ਕਾਸ਼ੀ’ ਵਜੋਂ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਣਦੇ—ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਇਹੀ ਤਾਂ ਮਹਾ-ਮੋਹਨ ਦੀ ਧਰਤੀ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• पुराविदः: knowers of old lore/ancient tradition
• पुराविदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरा + विद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्रशंसन्ति: praise
• प्रशंसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम

• महामोहहारिणीम्: the remover of great delusion
• महामोहहारिणीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + मोह + हारिणी (हृ धातु; णिनि-प्रत्यय/स्त्रीप्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम

• इति: thus/as
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति-सूचक (quotative particle)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• जानन्ति: know
• जानन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• महामोहनभूः: (that it is) the ground/source of great delusion
• महामोहनभूः: Pratipadyam (Predicate nominative/प्रातिपद्यम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + मोहन + भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• इयम्: this (is)
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम

Speaker

Śiva (Hara), reported by Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya and sages (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-layer allegory: sages praising Kāśī as moha-hāriṇī while, beneath, Kāśī appears as a shimmering ground of māyā—temples and ghāṭas mirrored like illusions; Śiva’s presence stabilizes the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Purāvidaḥ (knowers of tradition)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is profound and paradoxical: it dispels delusion while also being a divine, awe-inducing power-field that transcends simple labels.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a whole—its deepest metaphysical status.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse offers a metaphysical characterization rather than a ritual injunction.