Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

वाराणसीति काशीति रुद्रावास इति स्फुटम् । मुखाद्विनिर्गतं येषां तेषां न प्रभवेद्यमः

Transliteration

vārāṇasīti kāśīti rudrāvāsa iti sphuṭam | mukhādvinirgataṃ yeṣāṃ teṣāṃ na prabhavedyamaḥ

Translation

ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਮੁਖ ਤੋਂ ਸਪਸ਼ਟ ‘ਵਾਰਾਣਸੀ’, ‘ਕਾਸ਼ੀ’, ‘ਰੁਦ੍ਰ ਦਾ ਨਿਵਾਸ’ ਇਹ ਉਚਾਰਣ ਨਿਕਲਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਉੱਤੇ ਯਮ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵ ਨਹੀਂ ਪੈਂਦਾ।

Word by Word

• वाराणसी: “Vārāṇasī”
• वाराणसी: Karma (Object/content of utterance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उक्तिवाचक (as a quoted name)

• इति: thus, as
• इति: Ukti-marker (Quotation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• काशी: “Kāśī”
• काशी: Karma (Object/content of utterance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; quoted name

• इति: thus
• इति: Ukti-marker (Quotation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय

• रुद्रावासः: “Rudra’s abode”
• रुद्रावासः: Karma (Object/content of utterance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध): रुद्रस्य आवासः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Ukti-marker (Quotation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय

• स्फुटम्: clearly, distinctly
• स्फुटम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्फुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): स्पष्टतया

• मुखात्: from the mouth
• मुखात्: Apādāna (Ablative/source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• विनिर्गतम्: uttered, come forth
• विनिर्गतम्: Karma (Object/content)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-निर्-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (agreeing with implied ‘वचनम्/नाम’)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• प्रभवेत्: would prevail, would have power
• प्रभवेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यमः: Yama (lord of death)
• यमः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Viśveśa/Śiva (quoted within Skanda’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Rudrāvāsa/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal narratee (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee utters ‘Vārāṇasī/Kāśī/Rudrāvāsa’; Yama with noose stands halted at a boundary of light, while Rudra’s protective radiance covers the devotee; Kāśī ghats glow behind.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• Rudra
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance and utterance of Kāśī as Rudra’s abode is presented as a liberating power that transcends fear of death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī/Kāśī, explicitly praised as ‘Rudrāvāsa’ (the dwelling of Rudra).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāma-ucchāraṇa: clearly uttering ‘Vārāṇasī’, ‘Kāśī’, and ‘Rudrāvāsa’ as a devotional practice.