Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

त्रिसंध्यमविमुक्तेशं यो जपेन्नियतः शुचिः । दूरदेशविपन्नोपि काशीमृतफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

trisaṃdhyamavimukteśaṃ yo japenniyataḥ śuciḥ | dūradeśavipannopi kāśīmṛtaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

ผู้ใดมีวินัยและบริสุทธิ์ สวดภาวนาพระนามอวิมุกเตศะในสามยามแห่งสันธยา—แม้ตกทุกข์อยู่แดนไกล—ย่อมได้ผลบุญดังผู้สิ้นชีพในกาศี

Word by Word

• त्रिसन्ध्यम्: at the three sandhyās (thrice daily)
• त्रिसन्ध्यम्: Karma/Adverbial (Extent/काल-परिमाण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + सन्ध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः सन्ध्याः यस्य/यत्र) — यहाँ क्रियाविशेषणवत् (thrice daily)

• अविमुक्तेशम्: Avimukteśa
• अविमुक्तेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अविमुक्तस्य ईशः)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• नियतः: disciplined, restrained
• नियतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + यत (यम् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः; विशेषणम् (disciplined/regulated)

• शुचिः: pure, clean
• शुचिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• दूरदेशविपन्नः: afflicted in a far-off land
• दूरदेशविपन्नः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक) + देश (प्रातिपदिक) + विपन्न (वि+पद् धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (दूरे देशे विपन्नः)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक-निपातः (even/also)

• काशीमृतफलम्: the fruit of dying in Kāśī
• काशीमृतफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + मृत (मृ धातु, क्त) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (काश्यां मृतस्य फलम् / काशी-मरण-फलम्)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukteśa / Kāśī (as phala-source)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler stranded in a distant land performs trisaṃdhyā—facing east at dawn, south at noon, west at dusk—counting rudrākṣa beads while envisioning Avimukteśa and the ghats of Kāśī in the mind’s eye.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukteśa
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Sandhyā (three times daily)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady remembrance of Śiva, practiced daily with purity and discipline, can confer the highest sacred merit associated with Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), specifically through the name and power of Avimukteśa/Avimukteśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of Avimukteśa at the three sandhyā times (dawn, midday, dusk) with niyama (discipline) and śauca (purity).