Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

काशीति काचिदबला भुवनेषु रूढा लोलार्क केशवविलोलविलोचना । तद्दोर्युगं च वरणासिरियं तदीया वेणीति याऽत्र गदिताऽक्षयशर्मभूमिः

Transliteration

kāśīti kācidabalā bhuvaneṣu rūḍhā lolārka keśavavilolavilocanā | taddoryugaṃ ca varaṇāsiriyaṃ tadīyā veṇīti yā'tra gaditā'kṣayaśarmabhūmiḥ

Translation

May isang dalagang bantog sa lahat ng daigdig na tinatawag na ‘Kāśī’, na ang mga mata’y malilikot, gaya nina Lōlārka at Keśava. Ang kanyang dalawang bisig ay ang Varaṇā at Asī; at ang kanyang ‘tirintas’ dito’y tinatawag na Veṇī—ito ang lupain ng di-nagmamaliw na kapayapaan at kagalingan.

Word by Word

• kāśī: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• kāśī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• iti: thus, called
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इति-प्रयोग (quotative particle)

• kācid: some, a certain
• kācid: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite)

• abalā: woman; maiden
• abalā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bhuvaneṣu: in the worlds
• bhuvaneṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhuvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• rūḍhā: well-established, renowned
• rūḍhā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ruh (रुह्) + क्त (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि/स्थितिवाचक (grown/established)

• lolārka: (having) the rolling sun (as ...)
• lolārka: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lola (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + arka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः कर्मधारय; (पुं/नपुं) प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण विशेषण; ‘लोलः अर्कः’ (fickle/rolling sun)

• keśava-vilola-vilocanā: she whose eyes are playfully moving (towards Keśava)
• keśava-vilola-vilocanā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक) + vilola (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + vilocana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुष-प्रायः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘केशवस्य विलोलानि विलोचनानि यस्याः’ इत्यर्थे (eyes playful like Keśava’s / towards Keśava)

• tat-dor-yugam: that pair of arms
• tat-dor-yugam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + dor (प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुष); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘तस्य दोः-युगम्’ (pair of arms of that one)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• varaṇāsī: Varaṇāsī
• varaṇāsī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varaṇāsī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• iyam: this (she/this one)
• iyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tadīyā: belonging to that (one)
• tadīyā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tadīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-विशेषण (possessive adjective)

• veṇī: Veṇī (braid/name)
• veṇī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• iti: thus, called
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इति-प्रयोग (quotative particle)

• yā: which, who
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• gaditā: called, spoken of
• gaditā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gad (गद्) + क्त (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भूत (said, spoken)

• akṣaya-śarma-bhūmiḥ: the ground/land of imperishable bliss
• akṣaya-śarma-bhūmiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣaya (विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + śarma (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुष); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अक्षयस्य शर्मणः भूमिः’ / ‘अक्षय-शर्म-रूपा भूमिः’ (land of imperishable bliss)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (bounded by Varaṇā and Asī; featuring Veṇī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāśī appears as a radiant maiden standing upon the ghats; her arms flow as two rivers—Varaṇā and Asī—while her long braid is Veṇī, adorned with flowers; her eyes shimmer restlessly like Lōlārka and Keśava, and the ground beneath glows with ‘akṣaya-śarma’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Varaṇā
• Asī
• Veṇī
• Lolārka
• Keśava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a living sacred body—its geography is divine, granting imperishable auspiciousness to those who approach it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), framed through its sacred rivers Varaṇā and Asī and the symbolic Veṇī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse sacralizes Kāśī’s landmarks, implying merit through दर्शन, visitation, and tīrtha-contact.