Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

एषापि काशिराजस्य कुमार्यस्त्विह बर्करी । अत्रैव भोगान्संप्राप्य मुक्तिं प्राप्स्यत्यनुत्तमाम्

Transliteration

eṣāpi kāśirājasya kumāryastviha barkarī | atraiva bhogānsaṃprāpya muktiṃ prāpsyatyanuttamām

Translation

กุมารีผู้นี้ด้วย—บรรกรี ธิดาแห่งกษัตริย์กาศี—เมื่อเสวยสุขอันชอบธรรม ณ ที่นี่แล้ว จักบรรลุโมกษะอันยอดยิ่งหาที่เปรียบมิได้

Word by Word

• एषा: this (woman)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• काशिराजस्य: of the king of Kāśī
• काशिराजस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासः = षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (काश्याः राजा)

• कुमार्यः: maidens, daughters
• कुमार्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• बर्करी: Barkarī (name/epithet)
• बर्करी: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बर्करी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम/विशेषसंज्ञा (proper name/epithet)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (only/indeed)

• भोगान्: enjoyments
• भोगान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• सम्प्राप्य: having attained
• सम्प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु) → सम्प्राप्य (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• मुक्तिम्: liberation
• मुक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• प्राप्स्यति: will attain
• प्राप्स्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future/भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अनुत्तमाम्: unsurpassed, supreme
• अनुत्तमाम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘मुक्तिम्’ इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śrī Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī/Avimukta-kṣetra (implicit)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Barkarī, princess of Kāśī, is foretold to enjoy rightful pleasures in Kāśī and then attain unsurpassed liberation—worldly splendor dissolving into serene release.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśīrāja (King of Kāśī)
• Barkarī
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a liberating kṣetra where even while living a complete life (bhoga), one can ultimately attain mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a whole sacred field (kṣetra) is glorified as granting anuttamā mukti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated in this verse; it states the fruit (phala) of the kṣetra.