Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणा ऊचुः । उमापते महेशान सर्वज्ञ वर एष नः । काशी कदापि न त्याज्या भवता भवतापहृत्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | umāpate maheśāna sarvajña vara eṣa naḥ | kāśī kadāpi na tyājyā bhavatā bhavatāpahṛt

Translation

برہمنوں نے کہا: اے اُما پتی، اے مہیشان، اے سب کچھ جاننے والے! ہمارا یہی ور ہے—اے بھَو تاپ ہرت (دنیاوی دکھ دور کرنے والے)، آپ کبھی کاشی کو ترک نہ کریں۔

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇāḥ: the Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• umāpate: O Lord of Umā
• umāpate: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umāpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उमायाः पतिः), पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• maheśāna: O Maheśāna
• maheśāna: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• sarvajña: O omniscient one
• sarvajña: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva-jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वं जानाति), पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• varaḥ: boon
• varaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Determiner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देशक (demonstrative)

• naḥ: our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• kāśī: Kāśī
• kāśī: Karma (Object of gerundive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kadāpi: ever
• kadāpi: Kāla (Time adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadā (अव्यय) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb) ‘ever/at any time’

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

• tyājyā: to be abandoned
• tyājyā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Predicate adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √tyaj (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण ‘not to be abandoned’

• bhavatā: by you (sir)
• bhavatā: Kartr̥/Instrument (Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; आदरार्थक-प्रयोग

• bhavatā-apahṛt: whose affliction is removed by you
• bhavatā-apahṛt: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhavat + apahṛt (√hṛ धातु, उपसर्ग-अप + क्त)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (भवता अपहृतं यस्याः सा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (काशी) विशेषण

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas with folded hands address Umāpati Maheśāna before a liṅga shrine; behind them Kāśī’s ghats glow at dawn. Their boon is depicted as a protective circle of Śiva’s presence encircling the city.

Characters & Entities

• Umāpati (Śiva)
• Maheśāna (Śiva)
• Kāśī
• Bhava-tāpa (worldly affliction)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s greatness rests on Śiva’s abiding presence; devotees seek not worldly gifts but the perpetuity of that liberating guardianship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), prayed to remain forever under Śiva’s protection and presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual act is prescribed; the verse records a devotional request (vara) centered on Śiva’s non-departure from Kāśī.