Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

किं बहूक्तेन सुश्रोणि कृतंयेन व्रतं त्विदम् । व्रतानि तेन सर्वाणि कृतानि व्रतिना ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

kiṃ bahūktena suśroṇi kṛtaṃyena vrataṃ tvidam | vratāni tena sarvāṇi kṛtāni vratinā dhruvam

Translation

وما الحاجة إلى الإكثار من القول، أيتها الحسناء؟ إن من أدّى هذا النذر فقد عُدَّ حقًّا كأنه أدّى جميع النذور.

Word by Word

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम (interrogative pronoun)

• बहूक्तेन: with much talk / by many words
• बहूक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहूक्त (प्रातिपदिक; बहु + उक्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण-प्रयोग (instrumental of means)

• सुश्रोणि: O fair-hipped lady
• सुश्रोणि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुश्रोणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन; स्त्री-सम्बोधन (vocative address)

• कृतम्: done / performed
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘done’

• येन: by whom / by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-निर्देशक (relative pronoun)

• व्रतम्: vow, observance
• व्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ (emphasis/contrast)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; संकेतक-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• व्रतानि: vows, observances
• व्रतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन

• तेन: by him / by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; संकेतक-सर्वनाम

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• कृतानि: (have been) done
• कृतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; ‘done’

• व्रतिना: by the vow-observer
• व्रतिना: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; कर्तृ-निर्देश (agent in instrumental)

• ध्रुवम्: certainly, surely
• ध्रुवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogues)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A addressed female interlocutor (‘suśroṇi’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A concluding phala-śruti moment: a teacher-figure addressing a noble woman (‘suśroṇi’), gesturing as if to say ‘enough said’, with Kāśī’s ghāṭas and a Śiva-liṅga shrine in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Suśroṇī (vocative epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Some dharmic observances are praised as so potent that they are held equivalent to many other vows.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is a concluding praise of a vow within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa context, not direct tīrtha-glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It offers a doctrinal assurance: performing this one vow is deemed tantamount to performing all vows.