Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

विना सांख्येन योगेन काश्यां संस्थोऽमृतो भवेत् । कर्मनिर्मूलनवता विना ज्ञानेन कुंभज

Transliteration

vinā sāṃkhyena yogena kāśyāṃ saṃstho'mṛto bhavet | karmanirmūlanavatā vinā jñānena kuṃbhaja

Translation

సాంఖ్యమూ యోగమూ లేకున్నా కాశీలో నివసించువాడు అమరుడగును. ఓ కుంభజ (అగస్త్యా), కర్మమూలాన్ని నిర్మూలించు జ్ఞానం లేకున్నా (ఈ సిద్ధి కలుగును).

Word by Word

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/without)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय/उपपद

• सांख्येन: by Sāṅkhya (doctrine)
• सांख्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neut., Instr., Sg.)

• योगेन: by Yoga
• योगेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Instr., Sg.)

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Fem., Loc., Sg.)

• संस्थः: one who is settled/residing
• संस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Nom., Sg.)

• अमृतः: immortal
• अमृतः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Nom., Sg.)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd, Sg.)

• कर्म-निर्मूलन-वतā: by (that which is) possessing eradication of karma
• कर्म-निर्मूलन-वतā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्मूलन (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instr., Sg.); कर्मणां निर्मूलनं यस्य तत्/तेन

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/without)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय/उपपद

• ज्ञानेन: by knowledge
• ज्ञानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neut., Instr., Sg.)

• कुम्भज: O Kumbhaja (Agastya)
• कुम्भज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Voc., Sg.)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbhaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two paths—Sāṅkhya and Yoga—are shown as steep mountain trails, while Kāśī appears as a luminous city-gate where Śiva’s compassion grants entry to liberation even to ordinary householders.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Sāṅkhya
• Yoga
• Agastya (Kumbhaja)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The kṣetra-mahātmya of Kāśī is so great that liberation is attributed to the place and Śiva’s grace, beyond reliance on formal systems alone.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as a whole, as a mokṣa-kṣetra whose power surpasses ordinary soteriological methods.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse contrasts liberation in Kāśī with dependence on sādhana systems (Sāṅkhya, Yoga, jñāna).