Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

पुनःक्व नृत्वं श्रेयोभूः क्व काशीकर्मबंधहृत् । वृथागते हि मानुष्ये काशीप्राप्तिविवर्जनात्

Transliteration

punaḥkva nṛtvaṃ śreyobhūḥ kva kāśīkarmabaṃdhahṛt | vṛthāgate hi mānuṣye kāśīprāptivivarjanāt

Translation

“ਮਨੁੱਖ ਹੋਣਾ ਹੀ ਕੀ ਹੈ, ਕਾਸ਼ੀ ਦੇ ਮੁਕਾਬਲੇ—ਜੋ ਪਰਮ ਸ਼੍ਰੇਯ ਦਿੰਦੀ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਕਰਮ-ਬੰਧਨ ਨੂੰ ਹਰ ਲੈਂਦੀ ਹੈ? ਕਾਸ਼ੀ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤੀ ਤੋਂ ਵੰਚਿਤ ਰਹਿਣ ਕਰਕੇ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਜੀਵਨ ਸੱਚਮੁੱਚ ਵਿਅਰਥ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।”

Word by Word

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक (again)

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Interrogative (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक (where?)

• नृत्वम्: dancing / the state of dancing
• नृत्वम्: Topic/Predicate nominal (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘नृत्य/नर्तकत्व’ भाववाचक

• श्रेयः: the good / welfare
• श्रेयः: Topic/Predicate nominal (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘better, welfare’

• भूः: you became
• भूः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘you became/you were’

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Interrogative (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक (where?)

• काशीकर्मबंधहृत्: remover of the bondage of karma (through Kashi)
• काशीकर्मबंधहृत्: Predicate qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + हृत्/हृ (धातु/प्रातिपदिक ‘हरने’)
• Form: समासः (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (श्रेयः/त्वम्) — ‘काशी-सम्बन्धि कर्मबन्धं हरति’

• वृथा: in vain
• वृथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (in vain)

• आगते: when obtained/arrived
• आगते: Locative absolute-like (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (past participle) नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘आगते (मानुष्ये)’ = ‘when (human life) has come/occurred’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/indeed)

• मानुष्ये: in human life / in human birth
• मानुष्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• काशीप्राप्तिविवर्जनात्: because of the avoidance of attaining Kashi
• काशीप्राप्तिविवर्जनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राप्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुष); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग ‘विवर्जन’ (here as abstract); पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause)

Speaker

Tapasvī (ascetic guide)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal addressee in the story (not named in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: the speaker contrasts ordinary human life with the extraordinary salvific power of Kāśī that severs karmic fetters.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Karma-bandha (bondage of karma)
• Śreyas (highest good)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest purpose of life is freedom from karmic bondage; Kāśī is praised as a unique means toward that end.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), explicitly lauded as karma-bandha-hṛt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the emphasis is on Kāśī-prāpti—reaching/visiting Kāśī as a transformative religious act.