Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तदेतत्क्षेत्रमापूर्य स्थितं सर्वगमप्यहो । किमन्यत्र न शक्तोसौ जंतून्मोचयितुं भवात्

Transliteration

tadetatkṣetramāpūrya sthitaṃ sarvagamapyaho | kimanyatra na śaktosau jaṃtūnmocayituṃ bhavāt

Translation

พระองค์นั้นสถิตอยู่ ณ ที่นี้ เติมเต็มเขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์นี้—ทั้งที่ทรงแผ่ไปทั่วทุกแห่ง แล้วไฉนเล่า หากมีผู้ถาม พระองค์จึงไม่ทรงสามารถปลดปล่อยสัตว์ทั้งหลายจากภวะ ณ ที่อื่นได้?

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Deictic/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Sambandha (Deictic/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred field/place
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta (Topic/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन

• आपूर्य: having pervaded/filling
• आपूर्य: Kriya (पूर्वकालिक क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+पूर् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); “having filled/pervaded”

• स्थितम्: abiding
• स्थितम्: Kriya (State predicate/अवस्था)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; “standing/abiding”

• सर्वगम्: all-pervading
• सर्वगम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; “all-pervading”

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थ (also/even)

• अहो: ah! indeed
• अहो: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मयादिबोधक (interjection)

• किम्: why? what?
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (elsewhere)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• शक्तः: able
• शक्तः: Kriya (Predicate adjective/विशेष्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; “able”

• असौ: that one (Bhava)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/असौ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ

• जन्तून्: creatures, beings
• जन्तून्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया बहुवचन

• मोचयितुम्: to liberate
• मोचयितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु) + णिच्
• Form: णिच्-प्रयोजक (causative) + तुमुनन्त (infinitive); “to cause to be released”

• भवात्: from Bhava (Śiva)
• भवात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी एकवचन (ablative singular); “from Bhava (Śiva)”

Speaker

Skanda (continuing instruction to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative ‘question’ moment: Skanda indicates the kṣetra filled with the Supreme; sages show inquisitive expressions; background shows Kāśī’s sacred field as a luminous mandala overlaying the city/river, suggesting omnipresence concentrated.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta-kṣetra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It raises the theological question behind kṣetra-māhātmya: how a universal Divine is specially accessible in a holy place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-kṣetra within Kāśī is implied as the ‘kṣetra’ uniquely associated with liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces a doctrinal inquiry that the subsequent verses address.