Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

यत्सुखं काशिवासेत्र न तद्ब्रह्मांडमंडपे । अस्ति चेत्तत्कथं सर्वे काशीवासाभिलाषुकाः

Transliteration

yatsukhaṃ kāśivāsetra na tadbrahmāṃḍamaṃḍape | asti cettatkathaṃ sarve kāśīvāsābhilāṣukāḥ

Translation

居住迦尸所得之乐，纵在宇宙至高殿堂亦不可得。若彼处真有此乐，众人又何以皆渴望住于迦尸？

Word by Word

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative)

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• काशिवासे: in dwelling in Kāśī
• काशिवासे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सप्तमीतत्पुरुष (काश्याम् वासे)

• त्र: here
• त्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb: here)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अन्वयतः ‘तत् (सुखम्)’

• ब्रह्माण्डमण्डपे: in the pavilion of the universe
• ब्रह्माण्डमण्डपे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठीतत्पुरुष (ब्रह्माण्डस्य मण्डपे)

• अस्ति: exists/is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक अव्यय (conditional particle: if)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb: how)

• सर्वे: all (people)
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• काशीवासाभिलाषुकाः: desirers of living in Kāśī
• काशीवासाभिलाषुकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + वास (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिलाषुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठीतत्पुरुष (काशीवासस्य अभिलाषुकाः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split vision: on one side a dazzling cosmic pavilion with jeweled pillars and galaxies as ornaments; on the other, the simple yet radiant ghāṭas of Kāśī with lamps at dusk—devotees’ faces showing deeper joy than the cosmic spectacle.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Brahmāṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as uniquely blissful and spiritually fulfilling beyond even the highest cosmic enjoyments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Vārāṇasī, praised for a distinctive sukha associated with sacred residence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse motivates the aspiration for Kāśīvāsa.