Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52
Devanagari script
सत्यं सत्यं पुनः सत्यं सत्यपूर्वं पुनःपुनः । न काशी सदृशी मुक्त्यै भूमिरन्या महीतले
Transliteration
satyaṃ satyaṃ punaḥ satyaṃ satyapūrvaṃ punaḥpunaḥ | na kāśī sadṛśī muktyai bhūmiranyā mahītale
Translation
真理，真理，再次是真理；真理先于一切，反复重申：为了解脱，世上再无如喀什（Kashi）般的圣地。
Word by Word
सत्यम्truth
सत्यम्:
Vākya-bhāva (Assertion/वाक्यभाव)
TypeNoun
Rootसत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; वाक्ये निपातवत् (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; used as asseveration)
सत्यम्truth
सत्यम्:
Vākya-bhāva (Assertion/वाक्यभाव)
TypeNoun
Rootसत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-बल (repetition for emphasis)
पुनःagain
पुनः:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपुनः (अव्यय)
Formकाल/पुनरावृत्ति-वाचक-अव्यय (adverb: again)
सत्यम्truth
सत्यम्:
Vākya-bhāva (Assertion/वाक्यभाव)
TypeNoun
Rootसत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)
सत्यपूर्वम्with truth as the preface
सत्यपूर्वम्:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसत्य + पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सत्यं पूर्वं यस्य/सत्यपूर्वम्) (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)
पुनःपुनःagain and again
पुनःपुनः:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपुनःपुनः (अव्यय)
Formपुनरुक्त-अव्यय (reduplicated adverb: repeatedly)
नnot
न:
Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formनिषेध-निपात (negative particle)
काशीKāśī
काशी:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootकाशी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)
सदृशीsimilar, comparable
सदृशी:
Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; Adjective)
मुक्त्यैfor liberation
मुक्त्यै:
Sampradāna (Purpose/Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
TypeNoun
Rootमुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन (Feminine, Dative, Singular)
भूमिःland, place
भूमिः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootभूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)
अन्याother
अन्या:
Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootअन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; Adjective)
महीतलेon the earth’s surface
महीतले:
Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootमहीतल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (मही + तल) (Neuter, Locative, Singular)
Speaker
Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)
Tirtha Mahatmya
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A sage or narrator raises a hand in oath while Kāśī appears as a mandala-like sacred city; the repeated ‘satyaṃ’ is visualized as concentric rings of light emanating from Viśveśvara over the earth-map, marking Kāśī as singular.
Characters & Entities
K
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)M
Mahī (earth)FAQs
Kāśī is proclaimed as the unmatched mokṣa-kṣetra—no other place equals it for liberation.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).
None; the verse is a categorical praise (mahatmya) of Kāśī’s power to grant mokṣa.