Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

देवैर्मनुष्यैः पितृभिस्तिर्यग्भिश्चोपजीव्यते । गृहस्थः प्रत्यहं यस्मात्तस्माच्छ्रेष्ठो गृहाश्रमी

Transliteration

devairmanuṣyaiḥ pitṛbhistiryagbhiścopajīvyate | gṛhasthaḥ pratyahaṃ yasmāttasmācchreṣṭho gṛhāśramī

Translation

Weil Götter, Menschen, Ahnen und selbst die übrigen Wesen Tag für Tag vom Unterhalt des Hausvaters leben, ist der Gṛhastha daher der Vornehmste unter den Āśrama-Lebenden.

Word by Word

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मनुष्यैः: by humans
• मनुष्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• पितृभिः: by the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितृभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• तिर्यग्भिः: by animals (non-human creatures)
• तिर्यग्भिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिर्यञ्च् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; तिर्यग्जातिवाचक

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• उपजीव्यते: is supported; is maintained
• उपजीव्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-√जीव् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘is lived upon/maintained’

• गृहस्थः: the householder
• गृहस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• प्रत्यहम्: every day
• प्रत्यहम्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति-अहम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time): ‘each day’; अव्ययीभाव-समास

• यस्मात्: because (from which reason)
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; हेत्वर्थे (because of/ since)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; निष्कर्षार्थे (therefore)

• श्रेष्ठः: best; foremost
• श्रेष्ठः: Pradhana (Predicate/विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (superlative sense: best)

• गृहाश्रमी: one in the householder-āśrama
• गृहाश्रमी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह-आश्रमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—गृहस्य आश्रमः यस्य सः/गृहाश्रमसम्बद्धः

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder at dawn makes offerings into a small fire and then distributes food: first to a cow/dog/birds, then to a guest, with subtle divine and ancestral presences receiving the oblations.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Manuṣyas
• Pitṛs
• Tiryak (beings)
• Gṛhastha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Daily offerings and support given by householders uphold cosmic and social order—benefiting devas, pitṛs, and all beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

It belongs to Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered dharma teaching, without naming a particular tīrtha in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly points to daily sustenance duties—yajña/offerings, feeding, and ancestral rites—though not itemized here.