Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

एषामन्यतमः कार्यो गृहस्थेन विपश्चिता । पूर्वपूर्वः सुतः श्रेयान्हीनःस्यादुत्तरोत्तरः

Transliteration

eṣāmanyatamaḥ kāryo gṛhasthena vipaścitā | pūrvapūrvaḥ sutaḥ śreyānhīnaḥsyāduttarottaraḥ

Translation

ومن بين هؤلاء، ينبغي لربّ البيت الحكيم أن يُثبِت واحدًا منهم ابنًا له. فكلُّ نوعٍ ذُكِرَ أولًا أسمى، وكلُّ ما تلاه أدنى على التدرّج.

Word by Word

• एषाम्: of these
• एषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Plural), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• अन्यतमः: one of the others (any one)
• अन्यतमः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्यतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjectival)

• कार्यः: to be done / should be performed
• कार्यः: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातु से निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative adjective)

• गृहस्थेन: by the householder
• गृहस्थेन: Karana (Instrument/Agentive instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• विपश्चिता: wise, discerning
• विपश्चिता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपश्चित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘गृहस्थेन’)

• पूर्वपूर्वः: the earlier and earlier (each earlier one)
• पूर्वपूर्वः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व + पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (पूर्वः एव पूर्वः)

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• श्रेयान्: better, superior
• श्रेयान्: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक; तुलनात्मक/Comparative)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण (comparative adjective)

• हीनः: inferior, lesser
• हीनः: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• स्यात्: would be / should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• उत्तरउत्तरः: each later one (successively later)
• उत्तरउत्तरः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (उत्तरः एव उत्तरः)

Speaker

Skanda (narration to Agastya, per Kāśīkhaṇḍa convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned householder seated with palm-leaf manuscripts, consulting elders/ācāryas about dharmic son-establishment; background hints of Kāśī ghāṭas and a small household shrine.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Household dharma is to be carried responsibly; traditions rank options for lineage continuity and encourage the most dharmically sound choice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the verse is normative dharma guidance within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it advises selecting an appropriate form of sonship for sustaining obligations such as ancestral offerings.