Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कियंति संति नो भूम्यां मोक्षक्षेत्राणि षण्मुख । परं मन्येऽविमुक्तस्य कोट्यंशोपि न तेष्वहो

Transliteration

kiyaṃti saṃti no bhūmyāṃ mokṣakṣetrāṇi ṣaṇmukha | paraṃ manye'vimuktasya koṭyaṃśopi na teṣvaho

Translation

โอ้ ษัณมุข! บนแผ่นดินมีเขตแห่งโมกษะมากเพียงใด; แต่ข้าพเจ้าถือว่า ไม่มีแห่งใดมีค่าแม้เพียงเศษหนึ่งในล้านของอวิมุกตะ—น่าอัศจรรย์ยิ่งนัก

Word by Word

• kiyanti: how many
• kiyanti: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kiyat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• santi: are, exist
• santi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• naḥ: of us / our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• bhūmyām: on the earth
• bhūmyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• mokṣakṣetrāṇi: fields/places of liberation
• mokṣakṣetrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ṣaṇmukha: O Ṣaṇmukha (six-faced one)
• ṣaṇmukha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/8th), एकवचन (Singular)

• param: but, however
• param: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: param (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), अर्थे ‘but/however’

• manye: I think
• manye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• avimuktasya: of Avimukta (Kāśī) / of the never-abandoned (place)
• avimuktasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a + vimukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• koṭi-aṃśaḥ: a croreth part
• koṭi-aṃśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• teṣu: in those
• teṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• aho: alas!/indeed!
• aho: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय/उद्गार-अव्यय (exclamation particle)

Speaker

Agastya (deduced; vocative to Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (Ṣaṇmukha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred panorama: many famed mokṣa-kṣetras shown as small vignettes across Bhārata, while Avimukta/Kāśī is enthroned at center with a radiant aura, Śiva’s presence implied as protective and un-abandoning.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda (Ṣaṇmukha)
• Avimukta
• Kāśī
• Mokṣa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Avimukta (Kāśī) is portrayed as the unrivaled locus of liberation, surpassing all other mokṣa-kṣetras.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta—Kāśī’s central liberation-region, famed as Śiva’s never-abandoned domain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the verse is tīrtha-ranking (tīrtha-tāratamya) exalting Avimukta.