Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

अद्य मे सफलं चायुः परार्धद्वय संमितम् । यस्मिन्सति मया प्रापि दुष्प्रापा काशिका पुरी

Transliteration

adya me saphalaṃ cāyuḥ parārdhadvaya saṃmitam | yasminsati mayā prāpi duṣprāpā kāśikā purī

Translation

วันนี้ชีวิตของข้าพเจ้า—แม้จะยาวนานเทียบได้กับสองปรารธะ—ก็สำเร็จผลแล้ว เพราะในขณะที่ยังมีลมหายใจ ข้าพเจ้าได้บรรลุถึงนครกาศิกาอันยากจะได้มา.

Word by Word

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of time)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (enclitic genitive: my)

• सफलम्: fruitful
• सफलम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सफल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (agreeing with आयुः as predicate)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• आयुः: life/lifespan
• आयुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• परार्धद्वय: two parārdhas (a vast measure)
• परार्धद्वय: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परार्ध + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (द्वे परार्धे)

• संमितम्: measured/limited
• संमितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्√मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (measured/limited to)

• यस्मिन्: in which
• यस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-रूपम् (relative: in which)

• सति: when (it) is/while existing
• सति: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः (present active participle), सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सप्तमी-सम्बन्धे (locative absolute: ‘when/while it exists’)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in passive sense/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (instrumental: by me)

• प्रापि: I obtained
• प्रापि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√आप् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकारः (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम् (irregular/poetic form for ‘प्रापि/प्रापम्’)

• दुष्प्रापा: hard to obtain
• दुष्प्रापा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस् + प्राप्य/प्राप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (दुष्-पूर्वपद: difficult to obtain)

• काशिका: Kāśī-related
• काशिका: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काशिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (of Kāśī)

• पुरी: city
• पुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Brahmā (Vedhā) (contextually consistent with the following verses describing Vedhā rejoicing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśikā Purī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at the city threshold (or first ghāṭa view) with hands folded, tears of gratitude; behind, Kāśī’s skyline and Gaṅgā shimmer. A subtle cosmic scale motif (stars/time-wheel) contrasts with the intimate moment of arrival.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśikā
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even an immensely long life is considered successful only when it culminates in reaching Kāśī, the rarest of sacred attainments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśikā Purī—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is mentioned; the verse celebrates the spiritual fruition of reaching Kāśī.