Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

सा कुक्कुटी सुतौ तौ तु ताम्रचूडत्वमापतुः । प्रांते काशीस्मरणतो जाता जातिस्मृतिः परा

Transliteration

sā kukkuṭī sutau tau tu tāmracūḍatvamāpatuḥ | prāṃte kāśīsmaraṇato jātā jātismṛtiḥ parā

Translation

அவள் மனைவி கோழியாக ஆனாள்; அந்த இரு மகன்களும் செம்புக் கொண்டையுடைய சேவல்களாக ஆனார்கள்; இறுதியில் காசி-நினைவால் அவர்களுக்கு அரிய ஜாதிஸ்மிருதி (முன்பிறவி நினைவு) எழுந்தது.

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kukkuṭī: hen
• kukkuṭī: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kukkuṭī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sutau: two sons
• sutau: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक अव्यय (but/indeed)

• tām्रacūḍatvam: the state of being Tāmra-cūḍa
• tām्रacūḍatvam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāmra-cūḍa-tva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘ताम्रचूडा’ (a proper name/epithet) + त्व (abstract state)

• āpatuḥ: attained
• āpatuḥ: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु √आप्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), द्विवचन; परस्मैपद

• prānte: at the end / in the border region
• prānte: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prānta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• kāśīsmaraṇataḥ: from remembering Kāśī
• kāśīsmaraṇataḥ: Apādāna (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī-smaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘-तः’ (ablatival ending): from remembrance of Kāśī

• jātā: arose/was born
• jātā: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु √जन्)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• jātismṛtiḥ: memory of (former) birth
• jātismṛtiḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāti-smṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘जात्याः स्मृतिः’ (memory of former birth)

• parā: supreme/excellent
• parā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (as remembered source of saṃskāra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience within Kāśī-khaṇḍa frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small poultry yard: a hen and two crested cocks stand alert; above them, a subtle visionary overlay of Kāśī’s ghāṭs and a radiant liṅga; their eyes appear unusually intelligent, indicating jāti-smṛti awakening at life’s end.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Hen (kukkuṭī)
• Crested cock (tāmracūḍa)
• Jātismṛti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance of Kāśī can awaken higher spiritual clarity (jātismṛti), even across births, indicating the enduring sanctity of Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is directly glorified: kāśī-smaraṇa is portrayed as powerful enough to generate extraordinary spiritual memory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, sustained smaraṇa (remembrance) of Kāśī/Śiva—especially at life’s end—is recommended as a transformative practice.