Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

तथापि न चतस्रोन्या मया दृग्गोचरीकृताः । तासां प्रभावं विज्ञायाप्यागमिष्याम्य हं पुनः

Transliteration

tathāpi na catasronyā mayā dṛggocarīkṛtāḥ | tāsāṃ prabhāvaṃ vijñāyāpyāgamiṣyāmya haṃ punaḥ

Translation

ถึงกระนั้น นครศักดิ์สิทธิ์อีกสี่แห่งยังมิได้ปรากฏแก่สายตาของข้าพเจ้า ครั้นรู้ถึงอานุภาพของนางทั้งหลายแล้ว ข้าพเจ้าจักไปอีกครั้งเพื่อได้เห็นด้วยตนเอง

Word by Word

• तथापि: nevertheless, even so
• तथापि: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/विरोधसूचक-निपातसमूहः (concessive particle phrase: "even so/however")

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपातः (negation particle)

• चतस्रः: four (feminine)
• चतस्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतस् (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संख्या-शब्दः (numeral)

• अन्याः: other
• अन्याः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying "others")

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instrumental: by me)

• दृग्गोचरीकृताः: made visible / brought into sight
• दृग्गोचरीकृताः: Karma (Object predicate/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृक् (प्रातिपदिक) + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु)
• Form: समासः: दृग्गोचरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्रायः: "दृष्टेः गोचरः" = visible) + कृत (कृ-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि/कर्मणि प्रयोगः (past passive participle: "made visible")

• तासाम्: of those
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (genitive: of those)

• प्रभावम्: power, influence, greatness
• प्रभावम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• विज्ञाय: having understood
• विज्ञाय: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): "having known"

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अन्वय-निपातः (particle: also/even)

• आगमिष्यामि: I shall come/return
• आगमिष्यामि: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (simple future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb: again)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse; the voice reflects a pilgrim’s perspective within the narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘devī/sundarī’ in adjacent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-scholar in Kāśī, standing near a ghat with temple spires behind, speaks of unseen sacred cities and vows to journey again after grasping their power.

Characters & Entities

• Sapta-purī (implied)
• Vārāṇasī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Knowing the greatness of sacred places inspires continued pilgrimage; dharma is strengthened through repeated seeking and direct darśana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader framework is the sapta-purī tradition, with Kāśī already praised and the remaining sacred cities acknowledged as powerful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage/visitation); no detailed procedure is stated.