Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

अकामो वा सकामो वा तिर्यग्योनिगतोपि वा । रुद्रस्थल्यां त्यजन्प्राणान्परं निर्वाणमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

akāmo vā sakāmo vā tiryagyonigatopi vā | rudrasthalyāṃ tyajanprāṇānparaṃ nirvāṇamāpnuyāt

Translation

ไม่ว่าปราศจากความปรารถนาหรือมีความปรารถนา—แม้เกิดในครรภ์สัตว์เดรัจฉาน—ผู้สละลมหายใจในรุทรสถานีย่อมบรรลุนิพพานอันสูงสุด

Word by Word

• अकामः: desireless
• अकामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अकाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘व्यक्ति’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• सकामः: desirous
• सकामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘व्यक्ति’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात

• तिर्यग्योनिगतः: one who has gone into an animal birth
• तिर्यग्योनिगतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिर्यक् (प्रातिपदिक) + योनि (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (कृदन्त, √गम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तिर्यग्योनौ गतः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष)

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

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात

• रुद्रस्थल्याम्: in Rudra’s holy ground
• रुद्रस्थल्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—रुद्रस्य स्थली (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• त्यजन्: abandoning
• त्यजन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—शतृ (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘त्यजन्’ = while abandoning

• प्राणान्: life-breaths
• प्राणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘निर्वाणम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• निर्वाणम्: liberation (nirvāṇa)
• निर्वाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आप्नुयात्: may attain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rudrasthalī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate scene of prāṇa departing within Rudrasthalī: a dying being (human or animal) lies peacefully; subtle Śiva presence bestows liberation; attendants chant softly; the soul depicted as a luminous thread rising into stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Rudrasthalī
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Nirvāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s salvific promise is presented as unconditional: liberation depends on the sanctity of place and divine grace, not merely personal qualification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rudrasthalī in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual is prescribed; the verse emphasizes prāṇa-tyāga (death) within the sacred boundary as spiritually decisive.