Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

कियंति संति तीर्थानि नेह क्षोणीतलेऽखिले । परं काशीरजोमात्र तुलासाम्यं क्व तेष्वपि

Transliteration

kiyaṃti saṃti tīrthāni neha kṣoṇītale'khile | paraṃ kāśīrajomātra tulāsāmyaṃ kva teṣvapi

Translation

Kay rami ngang mga tīrtha sa buong balat ng daigdig! Ngunit saan sa kanila masusukat—kahit sa timbangan—ang kapantay man lamang ng isang munting butil ng alabok ng Kāśī?

Word by Word

• कियन्ति: how many
• कियन्ति: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कियत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण (pronominal adjective), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सन्ति: are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (अस्ति) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb: here)

• क्षोणीतले: on the surface of the earth
• क्षोणीतले: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षोणी + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग — समासः: क्षोण्याः तलम्

• अखिले: entire
• अखिले: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• परम्: but/rather
• परम्: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial use: but/rather/only)

• काशीरजोमात्र: a mere speck of Kāśī’s dust
• काशीरजोमात्र: Visheshya (Topic/subject of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी + रजस् + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन — समासः: काश्याः रजः, तस्य मात्रम् (only a speck of Kāśī’s dust)

• तुलासाम्यम्: equality in weight/comparison
• तुलासाम्यम्: Karma (Object/that being sought)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला + साम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन — समासः: तुलायाः साम्यम् (equality on a scale)

• क्व: where (is it?)
• क्व: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb: where/how)

• तेषु: among them
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/among)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कारक अव्यय (even)

Speaker

Agastya (deduced; addressing Skanda/Ṣaṇmukha context continues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-rajaḥ (dust of Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śikhiratha (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic balance scale: on one pan lies countless tīrthas of the earth; on the other, a single speck of Kāśī dust—yet the dust outweighs all, radiating Śiva’s presence.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity surpasses even the collective glory of countless tīrthas; its very dust is incomparable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), exalted as superior to all other tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse uses sacred ‘dust of Kāśī’ as a marker of extraordinary puṇya.