Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

आजन्म मौनव्रततो यदन्यत्रफलं स्मृतम् । तदस्तु काश्यां पक्षाहः सत्यवाक्परिभाषणात्

Transliteration

ājanma maunavratato yadanyatraphalaṃ smṛtam | tadastu kāśyāṃ pakṣāhaḥ satyavākparibhāṣaṇāt

Translation

Die Frucht, die anderswo dem lebenslangen Schweigegelübde zugeschrieben wird, möge in Kāśī binnen vierzehn Tagen erlangt werden, indem man nur wahrhaftige Worte spricht.

Word by Word

• आजन्म: from birth, lifelong
• आजन्म: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + जन्मन् (अव्ययीभाव-समास)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययीभाव (आ + जन्म) — “from birth/throughout life”

• मौनव्रततः: from the vow of silence
• मौनव्रततः: Apadana/Hetu (Source/Cause/अपादान-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मौन + व्रत (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मौनस्य व्रतम्); अपादान/हेतु — “from/through the vow of silence”

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• अन्यत्रफलम्: the fruit (gained) elsewhere
• अन्यत्रफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्यत्र + फल (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अन्यत्र स्थितं फलम्) — “fruit obtained elsewhere”

• स्मृतम्: is stated
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि-भूतकृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; “is said/remembered”

• तत्: that (fruit)
• तत्: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (correlative)

• अस्तु: let it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; “let it be”

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन

• पक्षाहः: a fortnight
• पक्षाहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष + अहः (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पक्षस्य अहः/अहन्) — “a fortnight (period of days)”

• सत्यवाक्परिभाषणात्: from truthful speech
• सत्यवाक्परिभाषणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य + वाक् + परिभाषण (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (सत्यं वाक् यस्य/सत्यवाक्; तस्य परिभाषणम्) — “from speaking truthful words”

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands near a Kāśī shrine, right hand raised in a gentle vow-gesture, lips closed in restraint; a small group listens as he speaks only measured truth; Gaṅgā and bells in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Mauna-vrata
• Satya (truth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ethical speech (truthfulness) in a sacred place can substitute for harsher austerities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), where disciplined truth-speaking is said to yield extraordinary fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A fortnight of satyavāk—maintaining truthful speech—presented as a powerful observance in Kāśī.