Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

ततोऽभ्यसेत्प्रयत्नेन सदाचारं सदा द्विजः । तीर्थान्यप्यभिलष्यंति सदाचारिसमागमम्

Transliteration

tato'bhyasetprayatnena sadācāraṃ sadā dvijaḥ | tīrthānyapyabhilaṣyaṃti sadācārisamāgamam

Translation

Darum soll der Zweimalgeborene stets und mit Eifer rechte Lebensführung üben. Selbst die heiligen Tīrthas, die Pilgerstätten, sehnen sich nach der Gemeinschaft und Gegenwart derer, die in guter Sitte leben.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Context/sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे ‘तस्मात्/अनन्तरम्’

• abhyaset: should practice
• abhyaset: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√as (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थे/विधिलिङ्गार्थे), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; धातु: √as (अस्यति/अस्यते इति न; अत्र ‘अभ्यस्यति’ = अभ्यासं करोति)

• prayatnena: with effort
• prayatnena: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचनम्

• sadācāram: good conduct
• sadācāram: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sad-ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम्; समासः: सत् + आचारः (उत्तमः आचारः)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• dvijaḥ: a twice-born (Brahmin)
• dvijaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचनम्

• tīrthāni: holy places
• tīrthāni: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचनम्

• api: also; even
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = particle; ‘अपि’ (also/even)

• abhilaṣyanti: desire; long for
• abhilaṣyanti: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√laṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; धातु: √laṣ (इच्छायाम्)

• sadācāri-samāgamam: association with the virtuous
• sadācāri-samāgamam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadācārin + samāgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम्; समासः: सदाचारिणाम् समागमः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned dvija at dawn on a Kāśī ghāṭa, hands folded, choosing right conduct; the tīrtha itself personified as a radiant river-goddess and temple-spirits welcoming the virtuous while turning away from the careless.

Characters & Entities

• dvija
• tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True holiness is strengthened by character; right conduct is itself a great tīrtha-like merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse speaks generally of all tīrthas, within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s praise of Kāśī as the supreme field of dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the injunction is ethical—continuous practice of sadācāra.