Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

सुकृतं नैव सततमाख्यातव्यं कदाचन । कृतं मयेति कथनात्पुण्यं क्षयति तत्क्षणात्

Transliteration

sukṛtaṃ naiva satatamākhyātavyaṃ kadācana | kṛtaṃ mayeti kathanātpuṇyaṃ kṣayati tatkṣaṇāt

Translation

Man soll seine gute Tat niemals fortwährend verkünden. Denn mit den Worten „Ich habe es getan“ schwindet das Verdienst (puṇya) in eben diesem Augenblick.

Word by Word

• सुकृतम्: meritorious deed
• सुकृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-कृत (प्रातिपदिक; कृत-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘सुकृत’ = good deed/merit

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• सततम्: always/constantly
• सततम्: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूतं (adverbial accusative)

• आख्यातव्यम्: should be proclaimed
• आख्यातव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive/passive necessity), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘should be declared’

• कदाचन: ever/at any time
• कदाचन: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• कृतम्: the deed done
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त (past passive participle used substantively), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘done (deed)’

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• कथनात्: from (the act of) saying
• कथनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• क्षयति: perishes/diminishes
• क्षयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षि (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्-क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् कालवाचक-प्रयोगः (immediately; from that moment)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī performs a quiet act of charity near a ghat, hands folded, while turning away from onlookers; Viśvanātha’s presence is suggested by a distant temple spire and a soft aura, indicating inner dedication rather than public acclaim.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit is protected by humility; self-advertising one’s virtue causes spiritual merit to decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this verse focuses on ethical conduct rather than a single tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A behavioral discipline: avoid proclaiming one’s good deeds, especially with egoistic ownership (“I did it”).