Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

अविमुक्ते कृतं कर्म यदल्पमपि मानवैः । श्रेयोरूपं तद्विपाको मोक्षो जन्मांतरेष्वपि

Transliteration

avimukte kṛtaṃ karma yadalpamapi mānavaiḥ | śreyorūpaṃ tadvipāko mokṣo janmāṃtareṣvapi

Translation

กรรมที่มนุษย์กระทำในอวิมุกตะ แม้เพียงเล็กน้อย ผลย่อมแปรเป็นความเกษมสูงสุด—คือโมกษะ—แม้ในชาติภพต่อ ๆ ไป

Word by Word

• अविमुक्ते: in Avimukta (Kāśī)
• अविमुक्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (स्थाननाम), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• कृतम्: done/performed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्ययः क्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (कर्म इति सह)

• कर्म: deed/action
• कर्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• अल्पम्: small
• अल्पम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• मानवैः: by humans
• मानवैः: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• श्रेयोरूपम्: having the form of welfare
• श्रेयोरूपम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (श्रेयसः रूपम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विपाकः: result/fruition
• विपाकः: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विपाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मोक्षः: liberation
• मोक्षः: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जन्मान्तरेषु: in other births
• जन्मान्तरेषु: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (जन्मनः अन्तरेषु = in other births)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience seeking assurance about efficacy of actions in Kāśī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic map-like vision of Avimukta: narrow lanes, countless shrines, and an invisible aura where even a small act—offering a flower or bowing—radiates into a vast liberation-light extending across lifetimes.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta
• Kāśī
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Avimukta is uniquely potent: even minor actions there mature into the supreme good—mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-kṣetra (the core sacred zone of Kāśī) is directly glorified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is mandated; the teaching emphasizes the extraordinary fruitfulness of any dharmic act performed in Avimukta.