Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

वचनाद्ब्राह्मणानां तु शापो मा प्रभवत्विह । कदाचिदपि केषांचित्काश्यां मोक्षांतरायकः

Transliteration

vacanādbrāhmaṇānāṃ tu śāpo mā prabhavatviha | kadācidapi keṣāṃcitkāśyāṃ mokṣāṃtarāyakaḥ

Translation

ขอคำสาปที่เกิดจากวาจาของพราหมณ์ทั้งหลายอย่าได้บังเกิดผล ณ ที่นี้เลย และอย่าได้เป็นอุปสรรคต่อโมกษะของผู้ใดในกาศีไม่ว่าเมื่อใดก็ตาม

Word by Word

• वचनात्: from the utterance/word
• वचनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणानाम्: of the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणानाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• शापः: curse
• शापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• मा: may not / do not
• मा: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (prohibitive particle)

• प्रभवतु: may arise/prevail
• प्रभवतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• इह: here
• इह: Adverbial (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• कदाचित्: ever/at any time
• कदाचित्: Adverbial (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Discourse particle (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक निपात (particle: even/also)

• केषाम्: of whom/of some
• केषाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• चित्: some/any (indefinite)
• चित्: Discourse particle (अनिश्चितता)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चितार्थक निपात (indefinite particle)

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• मोक्ष-अन्तरायकः: an obstacle to liberation
• मोक्ष-अन्तरायकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तरायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मोक्षस्य अन्तरायकः)

Speaker

Kāśī-resident brāhmaṇas/devotees (addressing Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees in Kāśī fold hands in supplication before Śiva, praying that no brāhmaṇa-uttered curse become a barrier to liberation within the sacred city; the ghats and temple spires form a protective sacred skyline.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Kāśī
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, the devotee prays that nothing— even a curse—should become a barrier to the city’s promised path to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), revered as a mokṣa-kṣetra in the Skanda Purāṇa’s Kāśī-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; it is a protective prayer emphasizing unobstructed mokṣa in Kāśī.