Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । मित्रावरुणजाख्यामि सदाचारं सतां हितम् । यदाचरन्नरो नित्यं सर्वान्कामानवाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | mitrāvaruṇajākhyāmi sadācāraṃ satāṃ hitam | yadācarannaro nityaṃ sarvānkāmānavāpnuyāt

Translation

Skanda sprach: O Sohn von Mitra und Varuṇa, ich will die rechte Lebensführung darlegen, heilsam für die Tugendhaften; wer sie stets übt, erlangt alle würdigen Ziele.

Word by Word

• skaṃdaḥ: Skanda
• skaṃdaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skaṃda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular)

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

• mitrāvaruṇaja: O son of Mitra and Varuṇa
• mitrāvaruṇaja: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mitra (प्रातिपदिक) + varuṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन/प्रथमा (contextual); एकवचन; समासः मित्र+वरुण+ज (मित्रावरुणयोः जातः)

• ākhyāmi: I will tell/declare
• ākhyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √khyā (धातु) + ā
• Form: लट्; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present; 1st person; Singular; Active)

• sadācāram: good conduct
• sadācāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sad-ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Accusative; Singular); समासः सत्+आचार

• satām: of the good/virtuous
• satām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध) विभक्ति; बहुवचन (Masculine; Genitive; Plural)

• hitam: beneficial
• hitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter; Accusative; Singular); (sadācāram) विशेषण (appositional qualifier)

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Pronoun; Neuter; Accusative; Singular)

• ācaran: practicing
• ācaran: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (धातु) + ā + at (शतृ)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-वर्तमानकृदन्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Present active participle; Masculine; Nominative; Singular)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे अव्ययवत्; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative; ‘always’)

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; बहुवचन (Masculine; Accusative; Plural)

• kāmān: desires
• kāmān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; बहुवचन (Masculine; Accusative; Plural)

• avāpnuyāt: would obtain
• avāpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) + ava
• Form: लिङ् (विधिलिङ्); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Optative; 3rd person; Singular; Active)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mitrāvaruṇaja (Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda begins: addressing the interlocutor as ‘Mitrāvaruṇaja’ (Agastya epithet), he promises to explain sadācāra beneficial to the good, which grants all aims when practiced constantly.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya (Mitrāvaruṇaja)
• Sadācāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sadācāra is presented as a universal key to accomplishing legitimate human goals, and as guidance especially suited to the righteous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the broader sacred context; the verse introduces the ethical teaching that makes Kāśī’s promise fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general prescription: the steady practice of sadācāra (right conduct).