Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

मोक्षलक्ष्मी समृद्ध्यर्थं यत्रकुत्र निवासिभिः । अप्यल्पमपि यद्दत्तं विशालाक्ष्यै नरोत्तमैः

Transliteration

mokṣalakṣmī samṛddhyarthaṃ yatrakutra nivāsibhiḥ | apyalpamapi yaddattaṃ viśālākṣyai narottamaiḥ

Translation

เพื่อความเจริญแห่งโมกษะ-ลักษมี ไม่ว่าผู้คนผู้ประเสริฐจะพำนัก ณ ที่ใด สิ่งใดก็ตามแม้เพียงน้อยที่ถวายแด่เทวีวิศาลักษี

Word by Word

• मोक्षलक्ष्मी: the fortune of liberation
• मोक्षलक्ष्मी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; (मोक्षस्य लक्ष्मीः)

• समृद्धि-अर्थम्: for (its) increase/prosperity
• समृद्धि-अर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समृद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् (for the purpose of prosperity)

• यत्रकुत्र: wherever
• यत्रकुत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय) + कुत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-द्वयम्; स्थानवाचक-अव्ययम् (wherever)

• निवासिभिः: by residents
• निवासिभिः: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (even/also)

• अल्पम्: a little
• अल्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (यत् दत्तम्)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; पुनरुक्त-बलार्थक (even)

• यत्: whatever which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि-भूतकृदन्तः (given)

• विशालाक्ष्यै: to Viśālākṣī
• विशालाक्ष्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशालाक्षी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (Dative/4th), एकवचनम्

• नरोत्तमैः: by the best of men
• नरोत्तमैः: Karana (Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; (उत्तमाः नराः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśālākṣī Mahāpīṭha (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble devotee offering a small gift—flowers/coin/cloth—to Viśālākṣī; the Devī’s presence radiates ‘mokṣa-lakṣmī’ as a lotus-like aura; scenes of devotees in distant places making offerings in spirit.

Characters & Entities

• Viśālākṣī
• Mokṣa-lakṣmī
• Dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere giving, even if small, becomes spiritually potent when offered with devotion to the presiding goddess of Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśālākṣī’s sphere in Kāśī; the verse also universalizes her grace to devotees ‘wherever they live’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna/offerings to Viśālākṣī—emphasizing that even minimal gifts carry mokṣa-oriented merit.