Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

दृक्पिच्छिला विलोक्यंते माणिक्यस्तंभराजयः । यतोऽविमुक्ते स्वक्षेत्रे मोक्षलक्ष्म्यंकुरा इव

Transliteration

dṛkpicchilā vilokyaṃte māṇikyastaṃbharājayaḥ | yato'vimukte svakṣetre mokṣalakṣmyaṃkurā iva

Translation

Những hàng cột hồng ngọc hiện ra như ‘dính vào ánh nhìn’—quá đỗi mê hoặc; tại Avimukta, cõi riêng của Śiva, tựa mầm non của phúc thịnh giải thoát (mokṣa-śrī) đang vươn lên.

Word by Word

• dṛk: of the eye/sight
• dṛk: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dṛś (प्रातिपदिक; दृक्-शब्दः)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• picchilāḥ: slimy, sticky
• picchilāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: picchila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• vilokyante: are seen/appear
• vilokyante: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√lok (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive sense: are seen)

• māṇikya: of ruby/gem
• māṇikya: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṇikya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद-रूपेण (as first member)

• stambha: pillars
• stambha: Viśeṣya
• Type: Noun
• Root: stambha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासाङ्ग (pillar)

• rājayaḥ: rows/streaks
• rājayaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāji (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; रेखा/पट्टिका-वाचक (streaks/rows)

• yataḥ: where/from which
• yataḥ: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (relative adverb: from where/wherein)

• avimukte: in Avimukta (Kāśī)
• avimukte: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: avimukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (name of Kāśī)

• sva: own
• sva: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• kṣetre: in the field/region
• kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणम्

• mokṣa: of liberation
• mokṣa: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद-रूपेण

• lakṣmī: of fortune/prosperity
• lakṣmī: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद-रूपेण

• aṃkurāḥ: sprouts
• aṃkurāḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃkura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• iva: like
• iva: Sambandha (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rows of ruby pillars in a Kāśī shrine-hall shimmer so intensely that the eye seems to cling to them; the pillars are visualized as tender sprouts of mokṣa-śrī rising from Śiva’s own soil.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as a mokṣa-kṣetra: even its beauty points beyond itself to liberation, the highest ‘wealth’ bestowed by Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), explicitly named as Śiva’s own sacred domain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse uses symbolism to proclaim Kāśī’s liberating greatness.