Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

इत्यादि सत्प्रवृत्तिश्च कर्तव्या क्षेत्रवासिना । प्रत्यहं चेति शिष्येभ्यः सधर्ममुपदेक्ष्यति

Transliteration

ityādi satpravṛttiśca kartavyā kṣetravāsinā | pratyahaṃ ceti śiṣyebhyaḥ sadharmamupadekṣyati

Translation

ومثلُ هذه السيرة النبيلة وما شاكلها ينبغي أن يعمل بها ساكنُ الحقل المقدّس؛ وعليه، يومًا بعد يوم، أن يعلّم تلاميذه ذلك النهج القويم الموافق للدَّهَرْما.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• आदि: and so on
• आदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘आदि’ = etc., beginning with

• सत्प्रवृत्तिः: good conduct
• सत्प्रवृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्-प्रवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक; सत् < √अस् (धातु) शतृ; प्रवृत्ति < प्र-√वृत् (धातु) + क्तिन्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः: सत् (शुभ) + प्रवृत्तिः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• कर्तव्या: should be done
• कर्तव्या: Vidhi (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्य-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (तव्यत्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done)

• क्षेत्रवासिना: by the resident of the sacred place
• क्षेत्रवासिना: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र-वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक; क्षेत्र; वासिन् < √वस् (धातु) + णिनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देशे (by the resident)

• प्रत्यहम्: every day
• प्रत्यहम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति-अहम् (अव्ययीभाव-समास; अहन्/अहः)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• शिष्येभ्यः: to the disciples
• शिष्येभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), बहुवचन; सम्प्रदान (to/for disciples)

• सधर्मम्: true dharma / proper duty
• सधर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स-धर्म (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘स’ = सह/सम्यक् (with/true) उपपद-समासभाव

• उपदेक्ष्यति: will instruct
• उपदेक्ष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-√दिश् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative norm)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small courtyard near a Kāśī ghat: a teacher seated on a mat, disciples around, palm-leaf manuscript open; behind them a shrine lamp and the soundscape of the city—teaching as daily worship.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Kṣetravāsin (resident of the holy field)
• Śiṣya (disciples)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, dharma is not only practiced privately but transmitted: daily teaching sustains a living tradition of virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as the kṣetra where righteous conduct and dharma-teaching are treated as sacred duties.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A daily discipline is implied: consistent instruction (upadeśa) of dharma to disciples.