Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

रेखा प्रासादवज्राभा ब्रूयुस्तीर्थकरं सुतम् । कृषीवलस्य पत्नी स्याच्छकटेन युगेन वा

Transliteration

rekhā prāsādavajrābhā brūyustīrthakaraṃ sutam | kṛṣīvalasya patnī syācchakaṭena yugena vā

Translation

يُقال إن خطًّا يشبه القصر أو الصاعقة يدلّ على ابنٍ يُقيم التيرثا (المعابر المقدّسة) وينفع الحُجّاج. أمّا إن كانت العلامات كالعربة أو النِّير، فإنها تصير زوجةَ فَلّاحٍ.

Word by Word

• rekhā: a line
• rekhā: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: rekhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• prāsāda-vajra-ābhā: having the appearance of a palace and a thunderbolt
• prāsāda-vajra-ābhā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक) + vajra (प्रातिपदिक) + ābhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (प्रासाद-वज्रयोः आभा यस्याः)

• brūyuḥ: would indicate/tell
• brūyuḥ: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• tīrtha-karam: one who establishes sacred places / a tīrthakara
• tīrtha-karam: Karman (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ कृ with -a agent)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थं करोति इति)

• sutam: a son
• sutam: Karman
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṛṣīvalasya: of a farmer/ploughman
• kṛṣīvalasya: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣīvala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• patnī: wife
• patnī: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śakaṭena: by/with a cart (mark)
• śakaṭena: Karaṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण/लक्षण-निर्देश

• yugena: by/with a yoke (mark)
• yugena: Karaṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण/लक्षण-निर्देश

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पबोधक अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (general tīrtha-sevā ideal)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A palm with a palace-like (prāsāda) line and a vajra-like streak; the future ‘tīrtha-kara’ son is shown overseeing construction of a ghat/stepwell with pilgrims bathing; a secondary vignette shows a cart and yoke in a green field indicating agrarian destiny.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Skanda
• Agastya
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit can mature into public religious benefaction—such as supporting tīrthas—while other signs indicate ordinary livelihoods.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse uses the concept of tīrtha-making (tīrthakara) within the Kāśī narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it speaks of outcomes and indicators.