Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

निरीहा निष्प्रपंचाश्च निरातंका निरामयाः । निर्भगा निरुपायाश्च निःसंगा निर्मलाशयाः

Transliteration

nirīhā niṣprapaṃcāśca nirātaṃkā nirāmayāḥ | nirbhagā nirupāyāśca niḥsaṃgā nirmalāśayāḥ

Translation

Họ vô dục, vượt ngoài mọi ràng buộc thế tục, không sợ hãi và không bệnh tật; không chấp vào phúc lộc, không mưu tính đời, không vướng mắc, và tâm ý thanh tịnh.

Word by Word

• nir-īhāḥ: free from craving/effortful desire
• nir-īhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (निस्-उपसर्ग) + īhā (ईहा-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक-तत्पुरुषः—‘ईहा नास्ति येषाम्’ (without striving/desire)

• niṣ-prapaṃcāḥ: free from worldly entanglement
• niṣ-prapaṃcāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (निस्-उपसर्ग) + prapañca (प्रपञ्च-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘प्रपञ्च-रहित’ (free from worldliness/expansion)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• nir-ātaṃkāḥ: free from fear/disturbance
• nir-ātaṃkāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (निस्) + ātaṅka (आतङ्क-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘आतङ्क-रहित’ (without fear/affliction)

• nir-āmayāḥ: free from illness
• nir-āmayāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (निस्) + āmaya (आमय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘आमय-रहित’ (free from disease)

• nir-bhagāḥ: without worldly fortune/claims
• nir-bhagāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (निस्) + bhaga (भग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘भग-रहित’ (without fortune/portion; humble)

• nir-upāyāḥ: without schemes/guileless
• nir-upāyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (निस्) + upāya (उपाय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘उपाय-रहित’ (without contrivance/means; guileless)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• niḥ-saṃgāḥ: detached/non-attached
• niḥ-saṃgāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis (निस्) + saṅga (सङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘सङ्ग-रहित’ (detached)

• nirmala: pure
• nirmala: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirmala (निर्मल-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक; समासे पूर्वपद

• āśayāḥ: dispositions/hearts
• āśayāḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśaya (आशय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘inner disposition/heart’

• nirmala-āśayāḥ: pure-hearted
• nirmala-āśayāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirmala + āśaya
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘निर्मलः आशयः येषाम्’ (whose inner disposition is pure)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene circle of ascetics, unburdened and unattached, sitting in effortless stillness; no signs of anxiety or striving; clean, luminous faces indicating nirmalāśaya; minimal objects, open space suggesting niṣprapañca.

Characters & Entities

• Pāśupata devotees
• Kāśī (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberating spirituality is marked by desirelessness, fearlessness, and inner purity—detachment becomes the sign of true well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is implied as a liberating environment where such detached, pure-hearted devotees flourish under Śiva’s grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it emphasizes inner vows—non-attachment, freedom from craving, and purity of intention as core disciplines.