Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

यास्यामि काशीमायाहि मायां हित्वा त्वमप्यहो । इति तेन सह त्वाष्ट्रो मुनिनातिकृपालुना

Transliteration

yāsyāmi kāśīmāyāhi māyāṃ hitvā tvamapyaho | iti tena saha tvāṣṭro muninātikṛpālunā

Translation

“ਮੈਂ ਕਾਸ਼ੀ ਨੂੰ ਜਾਵਾਂਗਾ—ਤੂੰ ਵੀ ਆ, ਹਾਏ, ਮਾਇਆ (ਮੋਹ) ਛੱਡ ਕੇ!” ਇਹ ਕਹਿ ਕੇ, ਉਸ ਅਤਿ ਕਰੁਣਾਮਈ ਮੁਨੀ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਤ੍ਵਾਸ਼ਟ੍ਰ ਵੀ ਚਲ ਪਿਆ।

Word by Word

• यास्यामि: I shall go
• यास्यामि: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• काशीम्: to Kashi
• काशीम्: Karma (Goal/object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आयाहि: come
• आयाहि: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + या (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मायाम्: illusion
• मायाम्: Karma (Object of ‘हित्वा’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हित्वा: having abandoned
• हित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund) अव्यय; ‘having abandoned’

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Emphasis/Addition (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• अहो: alas!/indeed!
• अहो: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मयादिबोधक निपात

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotation marker (इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक (quotative)

• तेन: with him / by him
• तेन: Sahakari (Instrument/सहकारि-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक (contextual)

• सह: together with
• सह: Association marker (सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (with)

• त्वाष्ट्रः: Tvāṣṭra (a person named thus)
• त्वाष्ट्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वाष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; (त्वष्टृ-सम्बन्धी/त्वष्टृपुत्र इत्यर्थे)

• मुनिना: with the sage
• मुनिना: Sahakari (Companion/instrumental/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन

• अतिकृपालुना: with the very compassionate (one)
• अतिकृपालुना: Sahakari qualifier (तृतीया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय) + कृपालु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारय); पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (मुनिना)

Speaker

Tapasvī (first half); Narrator voice (second half)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal story addressee (not specified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A decisive departure: the speaker urges, 'I go to Kāśī—come too, abandoning māyā'; Tvāṣṭra sets out with the very compassionate sage.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Māyā
• Tvāṣṭra
• Muni (compassionate sage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is paired with inner renunciation—abandoning māyā (delusive attachment) while moving toward a liberating sacred center.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), presented as the destination worthy of immediate departure.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; it prescribes a mindset for pilgrimage—‘māyāṃ hitvā’ (renounce delusion) while going to Kāśī.