Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

मोक्षलक्ष्मीरियं काशी न येभ्यः परिरोचते । स्वर्लक्ष्मीं कांक्षमाणेभ्यः पतितास्ते न संशयः

Transliteration

mokṣalakṣmīriyaṃ kāśī na yebhyaḥ parirocate | svarlakṣmīṃ kāṃkṣamāṇebhyaḥ patitāste na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

此迦尸正是解脱之吉祥天女（mokṣa-lakṣmī）。若有人不以她为可爱，反而贪求天界福乐之荣华，那些灵魂必为堕落，毫无疑问。

Word by Word

• mokṣa-lakṣmīḥ: the fortune of liberation
• mokṣa-lakṣmīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मोक्षस्य लक्ष्मीः)

• iyam: this
• iyam: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• kāśī: Kāśī
• kāśī: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• yebhyaḥ: to whom
• yebhyaḥ: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन

• parirocate: pleases, appears attractive
• parirocate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-ruc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• svar-lakṣmīm: heavenly prosperity
• svar-lakṣmīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svar (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वर्गस्य लक्ष्मीम्)

• kāṃkṣamāṇebhyaḥ: to those desiring
• kāṃkṣamāṇebhyaḥ: Sampradāna (Dative of reference/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāṃkṣ (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन; ‘(ते) ...’ इति विशेषणम्

• patitāḥ: fallen
• patitāḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pat (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• na: no, not
• na: Sambandha (Negation marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (as Maheśāna), in Skanda Purāṇa Kāśīkhaṇḍa context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General devotees; framed for brāhmaṇas in the surrounding discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two paths contrasted: one pilgrim gazes at celestial opulence (svarga-lakṣmī) fading like a mirage; another embraces Kāśī as a radiant goddess (Mokṣa-Lakṣmī) standing by Viśvanātha and Gaṅgā.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Mokṣa
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Value liberation over mere heavenly enjoyment; Kāśī embodies mokṣa itself and is to be cherished above svarga-oriented aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), identified as ‘mokṣa-lakṣmī’—the fortune of liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is named; the verse teaches a hierarchy of spiritual goals—mokṣa over svarga.