Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

अत्र ब्रह्मपुरीं कृत्वा यो विप्रेभ्यः प्रयच्छति । वर्षाशनेन संयुक्तां तस्य पुण्यफलं शृणु

Transliteration

atra brahmapurīṃ kṛtvā yo viprebhyaḥ prayacchati | varṣāśanena saṃyuktāṃ tasya puṇyaphalaṃ śṛṇu

Translation

Hier, wer eine Gabe namens „Brahmapurī“ bereitet und sie den Brāhmaṇas darreicht, verbunden mit einer Mahlzeit der Regenzeit—höre nun die verdienstvolle Frucht, die ihm zuteilwird.

Word by Word

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• brahmapurīm: Brahmapurī (city of Brahmā)
• brahmapurīm: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): 'ब्रह्मणः पुरी'

• kṛtvā: having made/established
• kṛtvā: Kriya-visheshana (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having made/done

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• viprebhyaḥ: to the brāhmaṇas
• viprebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी (4th/5th case), बहुवचन; अत्र दान-प्रसङ्गे चतुर्थी (dative)

• prayacchati: gives, bestows
• prayacchati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + yam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; धातु: यम् (to give) उपसर्ग: प्र

• varṣāśanena: with rain-season food (provisions)
• varṣāśanena: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + aśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: 'वर्षायाः अशनम्' (rain-season food)

• saṃyuktām: combined/associated (with)
• saṃyuktām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + yuj (धातु) → saṃyukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण—ब्रह्मपुरीम् (or implied दान-वस्तु)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• puṇya-phalam: the fruit of merit
• puṇya-phalam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: 'पुण्यस्य फलम्'

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (contextual; instructional passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmapurī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāśī courtyard near a ghat: a donor offers covered food vessels labeled ‘Brahmapurī’ to seated brāhmaṇas during monsoon; rain clouds and dripping eaves frame the act of giving.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Brāhmaṇa (vipra)
• Dāna
• Brahmapurī (offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity in a sacred kṣetra, especially feeding brāhmaṇas, is upheld as a potent purifier and merit-multiplier.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is implied by “atra” within Kāśīkhaṇḍa, framing the dāna as kṣetra-dāna (place-enhanced charity).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prepare and donate Brahmapurī (a food offering) to brāhmaṇas, along with seasonal meal-provision (varṣā-śana).