Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

संत्युपायाः सहस्रं तु मुक्तये न तथा मुने । हेलयैषा यथा दद्यान्निर्वाणं मणिकर्णिका

Transliteration

saṃtyupāyāḥ sahasraṃ tu muktaye na tathā mune | helayaiṣā yathā dadyānnirvāṇaṃ maṇikarṇikā

Translation

诚然解脱之道有千般，圣者啊，却无一如斯：摩尼迦耳尼迦甚至以不费力之恩，亦能赐予涅槃。

Word by Word

• सन्ति: there are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — Present, 3rd person, Plural

• उपायाः: means/ways
• उपायाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक — Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-निपात (but/indeed) — Particle

• मुक्तये: for liberation
• मुक्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन), एकवचन — Feminine, Dative, Singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात — Negative particle

• तथा: so/that much
• तथा: Visheshana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/so) — Adverb

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• हेलया: by mere playfulness/ease
• हेलया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• एषा: this (Maṇikarṇikā)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• यथा: as/how
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकार/यथार्थक (as/just as) — Correlative adverb

• दद्यात्: would give/grant
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• निर्वाणम्: nirvāṇa, final release
• निर्वाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मणिकर्णिका: Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage addressed as ‘mune’ (within the frame, Śaunaka)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage is addressed while the narrator points toward Maṇikarṇikā; above the ghāṭ, a luminous path or subtle Śiva-presence signifies nirvāṇa granted with ease, contrasting with a background montage of arduous yogic and ritual practices.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Mukti
• Nirvāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s grace surpasses laborious methods—Kāśī’s Maṇikarṇikā is celebrated as a uniquely direct bestower of liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā tīrtha in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is mandated here; the emphasis is on the tīrtha’s inherent liberating potency, granting nirvāṇa ‘helayā’ (with ease).