Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52
Devanagari script
पुनःक्व नृत्वं श्रेयोभूः क्व काशीकर्मबंधहृत् । वृथागते हि मानुष्ये काशीप्राप्तिविवर्जनात्
Transliteration
punaḥkva nṛtvaṃ śreyobhūḥ kva kāśīkarmabaṃdhahṛt | vṛthāgate hi mānuṣye kāśīprāptivivarjanāt
Translation
“区区为人，怎可与迦尸相比——她赐予至上福祉，解除业缚？若不得抵达迦尸，人身诚然虚度。”
Word by Word
पुनःagain
पुनः:
Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपुनः (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक (again)
क्वwhere?
क्व:
Interrogative (प्रश्न)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootक्व (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक (where?)
नृत्वम्dancing / the state of dancing
नृत्वम्:
Topic/Predicate nominal (विषय)
TypeNoun
Rootनृत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘नृत्य/नर्तकत्व’ भाववाचक
श्रेयःthe good / welfare
श्रेयः:
Topic/Predicate nominal (विषय)
TypeNoun
Rootश्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘better, welfare’
भूःyou became
भूः:
Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootभू (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘you became/you were’
क्वwhere?
क्व:
Interrogative (प्रश्न)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootक्व (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक (where?)
काशीकर्मबंधहृत्remover of the bondage of karma (through Kashi)
काशीकर्मबंधहृत्:
Predicate qualifier (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootकाशी (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + हृत्/हृ (धातु/प्रातिपदिक ‘हरने’)
Formसमासः (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (श्रेयः/त्वम्) — ‘काशी-सम्बन्धि कर्मबन्धं हरति’
वृथाin vain
वृथा:
Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवृथा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (in vain)
आगतेwhen obtained/arrived
आगते:
Locative absolute-like (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
TypeAdjective
Rootआ + गम् (धातु)
Formकृदन्त; क्त (past participle) नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘आगते (मानुष्ये)’ = ‘when (human life) has come/occurred’
हिindeed
हि:
Discourse particle (निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; निपात (emphasis/indeed)
मानुष्येin human life / in human birth
मानुष्ये:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootमानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन
काशीप्राप्तिविवर्जनात्because of the avoidance of attaining Kashi
काशीप्राप्तिविवर्जनात्:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeNoun
Rootकाशी (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राप्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formसमासः (तत्पुरुष); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग ‘विवर्जन’ (here as abstract); पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause)
Speaker
Tapasvī (ascetic guide)
Tirtha Mahatmya
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Skanda Dialogue
Listener: Internal addressee in the story (not named in verse)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A didactic moment: the speaker contrasts ordinary human life with the extraordinary salvific power of Kāśī that severs karmic fetters.
Characters & Entities
K
KāśīK
Karma-bandha (bondage of karma)Ś
Śreyas (highest good)FAQs
The highest purpose of life is freedom from karmic bondage; Kāśī is praised as a unique means toward that end.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), explicitly lauded as karma-bandha-hṛt.
No specific rite; the emphasis is on Kāśī-prāpti—reaching/visiting Kāśī as a transformative religious act.