Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

योध्यापयेदेकदेशं श्रुतेरंगान्यथापि वा । वृत्त्यर्थं स उपाध्यायो विद्वद्भिः परिगीयते

Transliteration

yodhyāpayedekadeśaṃ śruteraṃgānyathāpi vā | vṛttyarthaṃ sa upādhyāyo vidvadbhiḥ parigīyate

Translation

Wer nur einen Teil der Śruti oder die Hilfsglieder des Veda zum Lebensunterhalt lehrt, wird von den Gelehrten als upādhyāya gepriesen.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject of relative clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• adhyāpayet: teaches
• adhyāpayet: Kriya (Relative-clause verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: adhi-√i (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: लोट् (injunctive/imperative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; णिजन्त

• eka-deśam: a portion
• eka-deśam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; एकस्य देशः (a part/portion)

• śruteḥ: of the Veda (śruti)
• śruteḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• aṅgāni: the auxiliaries/limbs (Vedāṅgas)
• aṅgāni: Karma (Object; with implied ‘adhyāpayet’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• atha: or/also
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर/विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (particle: then/also)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive ‘or’)

• vṛtti-artham: for livelihood
• vṛtti-artham: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; वृत्तेः अर्थः (for livelihood)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• upādhyāyaḥ: an upādhyāya (tutor)
• upādhyāyaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upādhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (predicate nominative)

• vidvadbhiḥ: by the learned
• vidvadbhiḥ: Karana/Agent-in-passive (By whom)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• parigīyate: is called/celebrated as
• parigīyate: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√gai (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned upādhyāya instructs a small group in Vedāṅgas—phonetics, metrics, or ritual auxiliaries—amid manuscripts and teaching tools, suggesting practical, livelihood-based instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Śruti (Veda)
• Vedāṅgas (implied)
• Kāśī (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It distinguishes levels of teaching responsibility, honoring instructors while clarifying traditional definitions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction appears in Kāśī Khaṇḍa, reflecting Kāśī’s learned culture and dharma-centered social order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Teaching Śruti partially or teaching Vedāṅgas as a professional duty is identified as the role of an upādhyāya.