Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

दधीचिरस्थीनि न किं पुरा ददौ जगत्त्रयं किं न ददेऽर्थिने बलिः । दत्तः स्म किं नो मधुकैटभौ शिरो बभूव तार्क्ष्योपि च विष्णुवाहनम्

Transliteration

dadhīcirasthīni na kiṃ purā dadau jagattrayaṃ kiṃ na dade'rthine baliḥ | dattaḥ sma kiṃ no madhukaiṭabhau śiro babhūva tārkṣyopi ca viṣṇuvāhanam

Translation

দধীচি কি একদা নিজের অস্থিও দান করেননি? বলি কি প্রার্থনাকারীকে ত্রিলোক দান করেননি? মধু-কৈটভের শির কি দেওয়া হয়নি? আর তার্ক্ষ্য (গরুড়) কি বিষ্ণুর বাহন হননি?

Word by Word

• दधीचिः: Dadhīci (sage)
• दधीचिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधीचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अस्थीनि: bones
• अस्थीनि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (rhetorical)

• किम्: indeed?/surely
• किम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपातवत् प्रश्न/आक्षेपार्थ (rhetorical ‘indeed?’)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• जगत्-त्रयम्: the three worlds
• जगत्-त्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; द्विगुसमास—‘त्रीणि जगन्ति’

• किम्: indeed?
• किम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपातवत् आक्षेपार्थ

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (rhetorical)

• ददे: gave
• ददे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अर्थिने: to the supplicant
• अर्थिने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन

• बलिः: Bali (king)
• बलिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• दत्तः: was given
• दत्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग

• स्म: indeed/then
• स्म: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: स्म-निपात (past narrative particle)

• किम्: indeed?
• किम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपातवत् आक्षेपार्थ

• नः: our
• नः: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (अत्र ‘नः’ = ‘our’)

• मधुकैटभौ: Madhu and Kaiṭabha
• मधुकैटभौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + कैटभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्वसमास

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तार्क्ष्यः: Tārkṣya (Garuḍa)
• तार्क्ष्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• विष्णुवाहनम्: Vishnu's mount
• विष्णुवाहनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘विष्णोः वाहनम्’

Speaker

Agastya (deduced from immediate narrative context of Adhyāya 5)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like moral tableau: Dadhīci offering his bones; Bali offering the three worlds to a dwarf-brāhmaṇa; the severed heads of Madhu and Kaiṭabha as trophies of cosmic order; Garuḍa kneeling as Viṣṇu’s mount—each scene illustrating supreme giving and service.

Characters & Entities

• Dadhīci
• Bali
• Madhu
• Kaiṭabha
• Tārkṣya (Garuḍa)
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greatness is proven by giving—dāna and self-offering are celebrated as the highest expressions of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Kāśī: the verse supports the sage’s resolve in the Kāśī narrative by invoking legendary models of sacrifice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The principle of dāna (charitable giving/self-giving), illustrated through famous Purāṇic precedents.