Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण उवाच । किमादर्शेन चांधस्य किं गृहैर्भैक्ष्यजीविनः । किं पुस्तकेन मूर्खस्य ह्यस्त्रीकस्य धनेन किम्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇa uvāca | kimādarśena cāṃdhasya kiṃ gṛhairbhaikṣyajīvinaḥ | kiṃ pustakena mūrkhasya hyastrīkasya dhanena kim

Translation

Der Brāhmaṇa sprach: Was nützt ein Spiegel dem Blinden? Was nützen Häuser dem, der von Almosen lebt? Was nützt ein Buch dem Toren? Und was nützt Reichtum dem, der keine Gattin hat?

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇaḥ: the Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kim: what use?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (interrogative), एकवचन

• ādarśena: with a mirror
• ādarśena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādarśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• andhasya: of a blind man
• andhasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: andha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• kim: what use?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (interrogative), एकवचन

• gṛhaiḥ: with houses
• gṛhaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• bhaikṣya-jīvinaḥ: of one who lives by alms
• bhaikṣya-jīvinaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaikṣya (प्रातिपदिक) + jīvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (उपपद/षष्ठी-भाव: 'living by alms'); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• kim: what use?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (interrogative), एकवचन

• pustakena: with a book
• pustakena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pustaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• mūrkhasya: of a fool
• mūrkhasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• astrīkasya: of one without a wife
• astrīkasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- (नञ्) + strīka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थ (negated: 'without wife')

• dhanena: with wealth
• dhanena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• kim: what use?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (interrogative), एकवचन

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa speaks in pointed analogies; visual vignettes can appear as small panels: a blind man before a mirror, an almsman before a grand house, a fool holding a book upside down, a lonely rich man without spouse.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇa
• Bhadrāyu (implied listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Objects gain meaning only when aligned with right purpose; without fitness (yogyatā), possessions become empty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is rhetorical instruction through analogies.