Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

विनापि तपसा स्कंद विनायोगेन षण्मुख । विना व्रतैर्विना दानैः काश्यां मोक्षस्त्वयेरितः

Transliteration

vināpi tapasā skaṃda vināyogena ṣaṇmukha | vinā vratairvinā dānaiḥ kāśyāṃ mokṣastvayeritaḥ

Translation

Hỡi Skanda, hỡi Ṣaṇmukha—dẫu không khổ hạnh, không yoga, không thọ giới nguyện và không bố thí (dāna), Ngài vẫn tuyên dạy rằng tại Kāśī người ta đạt được giải thoát (mokṣa).

Word by Word

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश-निषेधार्थक/वियोगार्थक (indeclinable; preposition-like ‘without’)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (particle ‘even/also’)

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter; Instrumental; Singular)

• skaṃda: O Skanda
• skaṃda: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skaṃda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Vocative; Singular)

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वियोगार्थक (indeclinable; without)

• yogena: by yoga
• yogena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Instrumental; Singular)

• ṣaṇmukha: O Six-faced one
• ṣaṇmukha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṇmukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Vocative; Singular); समासः षट्+मुख (six-faced)

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वियोगार्थक (indeclinable; without)

• vrataiḥ: by vows
• vrataiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति; बहुवचन (Neuter; Instrumental; Plural)

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वियोगार्थक (indeclinable; without)

• dānaiḥ: by gifts/charity
• dānaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति; बहुवचन (Neuter; Instrumental; Plural)

• kāśyām: in Kāśī
• kāśyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (अधिकरण) विभक्ति; एकवचन (Feminine; Locative; Singular)

• mokṣaḥ: liberation
• mokṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (करण/कर्तृ) विभक्ति; एकवचन (Pronoun; Instrumental; Singular)

• īritaḥ: declared/uttered
• īritaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √īr (धातु) + ita (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Past passive participle; Masculine; Nominative; Singular)

Speaker

Agastya (deduced; addressing Skanda in Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (Ṣaṇmukha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī, humbled, hears the proclamation that mokṣa is attainable here even without tapas, yoga, vows, or gifts—Kāśī’s ghāṭas and Viśvanātha’s aura implied as the backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Ṣaṇmukha
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights the exceptional salvific power attributed to Kāśī—its sanctity is said to grant mokṣa even without the usual disciplines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), the celebrated mokṣa-kṣetra of the Skanda Purāṇa’s Kāśī Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific prescription is given; rather, the verse contrasts mokṣa in Kāśī with the typical means—tapas, yoga, vrata, and dāna.