Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

वाराणसीति काशीति रुद्रावास इति स्फुटम् । मुखाद्विनिर्गतं येषां तेषां न प्रभवेद्यमः

Transliteration

vārāṇasīti kāśīti rudrāvāsa iti sphuṭam | mukhādvinirgataṃ yeṣāṃ teṣāṃ na prabhavedyamaḥ

Translation

Sa mga taong sa kanilang bibig ay malinaw na lumalabas ang pagbigkas na “Vārāṇasī,” “Kāśī,” “tahanan ni Rudra,” sa kanila’y hindi mananaig si Yama.

Word by Word

• वाराणसी: “Vārāṇasī”
• वाराणसी: Karma (Object/content of utterance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उक्तिवाचक (as a quoted name)

• इति: thus, as
• इति: Ukti-marker (Quotation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• काशी: “Kāśī”
• काशी: Karma (Object/content of utterance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; quoted name

• इति: thus
• इति: Ukti-marker (Quotation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय

• रुद्रावासः: “Rudra’s abode”
• रुद्रावासः: Karma (Object/content of utterance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध): रुद्रस्य आवासः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Ukti-marker (Quotation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय

• स्फुटम्: clearly, distinctly
• स्फुटम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्फुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): स्पष्टतया

• मुखात्: from the mouth
• मुखात्: Apādāna (Ablative/source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• विनिर्गतम्: uttered, come forth
• विनिर्गतम्: Karma (Object/content)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-निर्-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (agreeing with implied ‘वचनम्/नाम’)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• प्रभवेत्: would prevail, would have power
• प्रभवेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यमः: Yama (lord of death)
• यमः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Viśveśa/Śiva (quoted within Skanda’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Rudrāvāsa/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal narratee (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee utters ‘Vārāṇasī/Kāśī/Rudrāvāsa’; Yama with noose stands halted at a boundary of light, while Rudra’s protective radiance covers the devotee; Kāśī ghats glow behind.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• Rudra
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance and utterance of Kāśī as Rudra’s abode is presented as a liberating power that transcends fear of death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī/Kāśī, explicitly praised as ‘Rudrāvāsa’ (the dwelling of Rudra).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāma-ucchāraṇa: clearly uttering ‘Vārāṇasī’, ‘Kāśī’, and ‘Rudrāvāsa’ as a devotional practice.