Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

वाराणसी परिसरे तनुमिष्टदात्रीं धर्मार्थकामनिलयामहहाविसृज्य । इष्टं पदं किमपि हृष्टतरोभिलष्य लाभोस्तुमूलमपि नो यदवाप शून्यम्

Transliteration

vārāṇasī parisare tanumiṣṭadātrīṃ dharmārthakāmanilayāmahahāvisṛjya | iṣṭaṃ padaṃ kimapi hṛṣṭatarobhilaṣya lābhostumūlamapi no yadavāpa śūnyam

Translation

唉！在瓦拉纳西的圣境中舍弃此身——那赐予所愿、为法（dharma）、利（artha）与欲（kāma）之所依者——众生欢喜地希求某种心所爱慕的至上境界；愿得真实之利，因为在此连其根本亦非空无，必定可证得。

Word by Word

• vārāṇasī: in Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasī: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (contextual; with parisare), एकवचन (अर्थतः: वाराणस्याम्)

• parisare: in the vicinity
• parisare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parisara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• tanum: body
• tanum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• iṣṭa-dātrīm: granting desired (boons)
• iṣṭa-dātrīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: iṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + dātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (इष्टं ददाति इति); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (tanum इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• dharma-artha-kāma-nilayām: abode of dharma, artha, and kāma
• dharma-artha-kāma-nilayām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + nilaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्वपूर्वक तत्पुरुषभाव (धर्मार्थकामानां निलयः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (tanum इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• ahaha: alas!/ah!
• ahaha: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahaha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विस्मय/शोकादि-उद्गार interjection)

• visṛjya: having abandoned
• visṛjya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sṛj (धातु) उपसर्ग-वि + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund)

• iṣṭam: desired
• iṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: iṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (padam इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• padam: state/abode
• padam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kim: what?/some
• kim: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative particle)

• api: some
• api: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपि = even/also; here with kimapi = some)

• hṛṣṭataraḥ: more delighted
• hṛṣṭataraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hṛṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + tara (तर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तरप्-प्रत्यय (comparative)

• abhilaṣya: having desired
• abhilaṣya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: laṣ (धातु) उपसर्ग-अभि + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund)

• lābhaḥ: gain
• lābhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lābha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/contrast)

• mūlam: root/basis
• mūlam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (lābhaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणार्थे/उपमानार्थे)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपि = even)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• yat: which/that
• yat: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• avāpa: obtained
• avāpa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु) उपसर्ग-अव + लिट्
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śūnyam: emptiness/nothing
• śūnyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śūnya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (अवाप इत्यस्य कर्म)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, having renounced the body in Kāśī, is shown moving beyond symbols of dharma (scripture), artha (coins), and kāma (garlands) toward a radiant, serene ‘iṣṭa pada’; the city’s ghāṭas glow behind as assurance of attainment.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• dharma
• artha
• kāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is celebrated as a sure ground of attainment—supporting worldly puruṣārthas and pointing beyond them to a cherished highest state.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), especially its parisara (sacred precincts) as a giver of desired fruits and higher realization.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse centers on the consequence of relinquishing the body in Vārāṇasī and the certainty of attainment.