Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

न स्वः पुरी सा त्वनया पुरासमं समंजसापि प्रतिसाम्यमावहेत । प्रबंधभेदाद्व्यतिरिक्तपुस्तकप्रतिर्यथा सल्लिपिभेदभंगतः

Transliteration

na svaḥ purī sā tvanayā purāsamaṃ samaṃjasāpi pratisāmyamāvaheta | prabaṃdhabhedādvyatiriktapustakapratiryathā sallipibhedabhaṃgataḥ

Translation

นครสวรรค์นั้นก็หาอาจเสมอด้วยนครโบราณนี้ได้ แม้โดยเหตุผลอันสมควรก็ตาม เพราะดุจสำเนาคัมภีร์คนละเล่มย่อมไม่เท่าเดิม ด้วยความต่างแห่งการร้อยเรียงและความแปรแห่งอักษรอันประณีต ฉันใด ที่นี่ก็ฉันนั้น

Word by Word

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

• स्वः: heaven
• स्वः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वः (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अव्ययवत् प्रयुक्तम् (heaven)

• पुरी: city
• पुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सा: that (she/it)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• अनया: by this (one)
• अनया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly)

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• समञ्जसा: by propriety/fitness
• समञ्जसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समञ्जस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; साधन/उपायार्थे

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

• प्रतिसाम्यम्: counter-equality/complete parity
• प्रतिसाम्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति + साम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• आवहेत: would bring/produce
• आवहेत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + वह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• प्रबन्ध-भेदात्: from difference in arrangement
• प्रबन्ध-भेदात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रबन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (from/owing to difference of arrangement)

• व्यतिरिक्त-पुस्तक-प्रतिः: a separate copy of a book
• व्यतिरिक्त-पुस्तक-प्रतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यतिरिक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + पुस्तक (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपमानपद (a copy distinct from the book)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानार्थक-अव्यय (as/just as)

• सत्-लिपि-भेद-भङ्गतः: because of distortion due to differences in (correct) script
• सत्-लिपि-भेद-भङ्गतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + लिपि (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक) + भङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (due to breaking/variation of correct script-differences)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A poetic comparison tableau: radiant Kāśī as an ancient, living ‘original manuscript’ while a distant celestial city appears as a beautiful yet secondary ‘copy’; scribes, palm-leaf folios, and differing scripts symbolize incommensurability.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (implied)
• Svarga (heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is unique and non-transferable; it is not merely ‘like heaven’ but beyond comparison.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the primordial and unsurpassed sacred city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse serves as a doctrinal praise (māhātmya) establishing Kāśī’s supremacy.