Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

शिवं प्रसंगतोभ्यर्च्य सकृत्त्वशुचिचेतसः । अल्पपुण्याल्पलक्ष्मी काः पिशाचास्त इमे सखे

Transliteration

śivaṃ prasaṃgatobhyarcya sakṛttvaśucicetasaḥ | alpapuṇyālpalakṣmī kāḥ piśācāsta ime sakhe

Translation

হে সখা, এইসকল পিশাচ—অল্প পুণ্য আৰু অল্প লক্ষ্মীৰ অধিকারী—যিসকলে কেতিয়াবা সংগতিবশত শিৱক পূজা কৰিছিল, কিন্তু মন অশুচি আছিল।

Word by Word

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• प्रसङ्गतः: by chance/incidentally
• प्रसङ्गतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• अभ्यर्च्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि+अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाल

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; संख्यावाचक/कालवाचक (once)

• त्व: indeed/just
• त्व: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पदपूरण/निपात (emphatic particle)

• शुचि-चेतसः: pure-minded
• शुचि-चेतसः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक) + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (शुचि चेतः येषाम्)

• अल्प-पुण्य-अल्प-लक्ष्मी: of little merit and little fortune
• अल्प-पुण्य-अल्प-लक्ष्मी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (piśācāḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्); बहुपद-कर्मधारय (अल्पं पुण्यं यस्य, अल्पा लक्ष्मी यस्य)

• काः: what kind of?/which?
• काः: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (interrogative)

• पिशाचाः: piśācas
• पिशाचाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ते: those
• ते: Visheshya (Referent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• इमे: these
• इमे: Visheshya (Referent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सखे: O friend
• सखे: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सखि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva’s Gaṇas (two attendants)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Companion/traveler addressed as ‘sakhā’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast tableau: piśācas shown as ‘alpapuṇya-alpalakṣmī’, while a faint memory of a single, careless Śiva-arcana appears like a dim vignette—an offering made without devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Piśāca

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External worship without inner purity gives only limited spiritual fruit; intention (bhāva) matters.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is not a tīrtha-stuti; it is a doctrinal note within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s teaching narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prescription: worship Śiva with śuddha-citta (purity of mind), not merely as a casual act.