Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

वरं हि तिर्यक्त्वमबुद्धिवैभवं न मानवत्वं बहुबुद्धिभाजनम् । अकाशिसंदर्शननिष्फलोदयं समंततः पुष्करबुद्बुदोपमम्

Transliteration

varaṃ hi tiryaktvamabuddhivaibhavaṃ na mānavatvaṃ bahubuddhibhājanam | akāśisaṃdarśananiṣphalodayaṃ samaṃtataḥ puṣkarabudbudopamam

Translation

แท้จริงแล้ว การเกิดเป็นสัตว์เดรัจฉานที่ไร้ทรัพย์แห่งปัญญายังประเสริฐกว่าการเกิดเป็นมนุษย์—แม้จะมีปัญญามาก—หากชีวิตนั้นไม่บังเกิดผลเพราะมิได้เห็นกาศี ทั้งหมดก็เหมือนฟองน้ำบนผิวน้ำ

Word by Word

• वरम्: better
• वरम्: Sambandha (Predicate particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग-एकवचन-द्वितीया रूपेण निपातवत् (indeclinable usage: ‘better’)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic)

• तिर्यक्त्वम्: animal existence
• तिर्यक्त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिर्यक् (प्रातिपदिक) + त्व (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (state of being an animal)

• अबुद्धिवैभवम्: having the ‘splendor’ of non-intelligence
• अबुद्धिवैभवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (उपसर्ग/नञ्) + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + वैभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—अबुद्धेः वैभवम्/वैभवयुक्तम् (नञ्-तत्पुरुष)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• मानवत्वम्: human state
• मानवत्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक) + त्व (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित

• बहुबुद्धिभाजनम्: a receptacle of much intelligence
• बहुबुद्धिभाजनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—बह्वी बुद्धिः यस्मिन्/यस्य (बहु + बुद्धि) + भाजनम् (धारक)

• अकाशिसंदर्शननिष्फलोदयम्: whose rise is fruitless without seeing Kāśī
• अकाशिसंदर्शननिष्फलोदयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक) + निष्फल (प्रातिपदिक) + उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—काशी-दर्शनस्य निष्फलः उदयः यस्य (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष; नञ्-पूर्वपद)

• समन्ततः: entirely
• समन्ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: on all sides/entirely)

• पुष्करबुद्बुदोपमम्: like a bubble on water
• पुष्करबुद्बुदोपमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्बुद (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—पुष्करस्य बुद्बुद इव उपमम् (उपमान-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/seekers

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative contrast: a learned human surrounded by books and debate, yet shadowed by a dissolving water-bubble; in the distance Kāśī’s ghāṭas and Śiva’s shrine glow as the true goal.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human intelligence is meaningful when directed toward dharma and pilgrimage; Kāśī-darśana is presented as a pinnacle fulfilment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, whose darśana is said to make life fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prescription: undertake Kāśī-darśana (pilgrimage/visitation) to make human life purposeful.