Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

भवांतरा वर्जित पुण्यराशिं कृच्छैर्महद्भिर्ह्यवगम् यकाशीम् । प्राप्यापि किं मूढधियोन्यतो वै यियासवो दुर्गतिमुद्यियासवः

Transliteration

bhavāṃtarā varjita puṇyarāśiṃ kṛcchairmahadbhirhyavagam yakāśīm | prāpyāpi kiṃ mūḍhadhiyonyato vai yiyāsavo durgatimudyiyāsavaḥ

Translation

กาศีเป็นคลังบุญที่แม้ข้ามภพข้ามชาติหลายครั้งก็ไม่พึงละทิ้ง และย่อมเข้าถึงได้ด้วยความยากลำบากยิ่ง ครั้นได้แล้ว เหตุใดคนปัญญาทึบจึงยังใคร่ไปที่อื่น ราวกับเร่งรุดไปสู่ความวิบัติ?

Word by Word

• भव-अन्तरात्: from other births (from transmigrations)
• भव-अन्तरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भवस्य अन्तरम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादानार्थे

• वर्जित: deprived of, lacking
• वर्जित: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्ज् (धातु) → वर्जित (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पुण्यराशिम्)

• पुण्यराशिम्: a heap of merit
• पुण्यराशिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य + राशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पुण्यस्य राशिः), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• कृच्छैः: with hardships, with difficulty
• कृच्छैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग (प्रयोगे नपुंसकं), तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• महद्भिः: great
• महद्भिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (कृच्छैः)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/हेतुवाचक-निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• अवगम्: attainment/approach
• अवगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव-गम् (धातु) → अवगम (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘अवगमनम्/प्राप्तिः’ अर्थे

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relational/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) → प्राप्य (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययवत्

• अपि: even
• अपि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपेक्षार्थक (also/even)

• किम्: why?
• किम्: Prashna (Question/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय

• मूढधियः: those of deluded intellect
• मूढधियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूढ + धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (येषां धिः मूढा ते), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• अन्यतः: elsewhere, from another place
• अन्यतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/दिशावाचक (from elsewhere)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic)

• यियासवः: wishing to go
• यियासवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: या (धातु) → यियासु (कृदन्त)
• Form: इच्छार्थक-कृदन्त (यियासु), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• दुर्गतिम्: a bad destination, misfortune
• दुर्गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर् + गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दुष्टा गतिः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• उद्यियासवः: eager to set out/go up
• उद्यियासवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्-या (धातु) → उद्यियासु (कृदन्त)
• Form: इच्छार्थक-कृदन्त (उद्यियासु), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands at a ghat with travel bundle, hesitating to depart; a wise figure points toward the temple spire, while shadowy figures on a distant road symbolize ‘durgati’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Puṇya
• Saṃsāra (bhavāntara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

What is gained through immense merit and struggle should be protected; abandoning Kāśī is portrayed as choosing spiritual decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, praised as a hard-won refuge across lifetimes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the emphasis is on perseverance, merit, and steadfastness in sacred geography.