Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

ब्रह्महत्यां नरः कृत्वा पश्चात्संयतमानसः । प्राणांस्त्यजति यः काश्यां स मुक्तो नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

brahmahatyāṃ naraḥ kṛtvā paścātsaṃyatamānasaḥ | prāṇāṃstyajati yaḥ kāśyāṃ sa mukto nātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

แม้บุรุษจะได้กระทำบาปพราหมณ์ฆาตแล้วก็ตาม หากภายหลังสำรวมจิต และสละปราณในกาศี ผู้นั้นย่อมหลุดพ้น—ไม่ต้องสงสัย

Word by Word

• ब्रह्महत्याम्: Brahmin-killing (brahmahatyā)
• ब्रह्महत्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कृत्वा’ इत्यस्य कर्म

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Modifier (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• संयतमानसः: one whose mind is restrained
• संयतमानसः: Modifier (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सं-यम् (धातु) + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक); संयत (क्त) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: ‘संयतं मानसं यस्य सः’; ‘नरः’ विशेषण

• प्राणान्: life-breaths
• प्राणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• त्यजति: gives up, abandons
• त्यजति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अन्वादेश

• मुक्तः: liberated
• मुक्तः: Predicate (Vidheyavisheshana/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• न: no/not
• न: Modifier (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Modifier (Locative adverb/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘अस्ति’ अध्याहार (there is no doubt)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A penitent sinner, formerly stained by brahmahatyā, now calm and restrained, lies at life’s end in Kāśī; Śiva’s compassionate presence (or light) descends, cutting karmic bonds; attendants chant softly by the Gaṅgā.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as supremely redemptive: sincere inner restraint and dying there is said to culminate in liberation even for grave sinners.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī/Avimukta), especially the salvific power of death in the kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mental restraint/repentance (saṃyata-mānasa) is specified; no external rite is named beyond the emphasis on Kāśī-maraṇa.