Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अणुप्रमाणमपि या मध्ये काशिविकासिनी । मही महीयसी ज्ञेया सा सिद्ध्यै न मुधा क्वचित्

Transliteration

aṇupramāṇamapi yā madhye kāśivikāsinī | mahī mahīyasī jñeyā sā siddhyai na mudhā kvacit

Translation

纵使其微如一粒原子，那在迦尸（Kāśī）中央熠熠生辉之处，也应知其伟大胜过大地本身；它导向成就，绝不徒然。

Word by Word

• अणुप्रमाणम्: even a minute measure
• अणुप्रमाणम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अणु + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular) — समासः: अणोः प्रमाणम् (सूक्ष्मपरिमाणम्)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कारक अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• या: which (she/that)
• या: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Relative pronoun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• काशिविकासिनी: shining/manifesting in Kāśī
• काशिविकासिनी: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काशी + विकासिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular) — समासः: काश्याम् विकासिनी (काश्यां प्रकाशमान/विकसन्ती)

• मही: the Earth
• मही: Visheshya (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• महीयसी: greater
• महीयसी: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महीयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular) — तुलनात्मक (Comparative): ‘greater’

• ज्ञेया: is to be known (as)
• ज्ञेया: Kriya-visheshana (Predicative/vidhi)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ज्ञा (जानाति) (धातु) + य (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (Kridanta), विधिलिङ्गार्थक/भाव्य (gerundive), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन — ‘ज्ञातव्या’ (to be known)

• सा: she/that
• सा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• सिद्ध्यै: for attainment/success
• सिद्ध्यै: Sampradana (Purpose/recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

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

• मुधा: in vain
• मुधा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुधा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (adverb: in vain/fruitlessly)

• क्वचित्: ever/anywhere
• क्वचित्: Adhikarana (Indefinite loc/time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/देशवाचक अव्यय (indefinite adverb: ever/anywhere)

Speaker

Agastya (deduced; addressing Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī’s inner luminous locus (contextually Jñānavāpī area)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śikhiratha (contextual) and general audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tiny luminous point in the heart of Kāśī expands in symbolic scale to overshadow the earth—visual paradox showing that the smallest sacred spot grants siddhi and is never futile.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Siddhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, even the smallest sacred locus is immensely potent and yields real spiritual accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s inner sacred region (a radiant locus ‘in the midst of Kāśī’), indicating the extraordinary potency of its core space.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No particular ritual is named; the teaching stresses the inherent efficacy of the place for siddhi.