Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

सुखं वा यदि वा चान्यद्यत्किंचित्क्रियते परे । तत्कृतं हि पुनः पश्चात्सर्वमात्मनि संभवेत्

Transliteration

sukhaṃ vā yadi vā cānyadyatkiṃcitkriyate pare | tatkṛtaṃ hi punaḥ paścātsarvamātmani saṃbhavet

Translation

Was immer man einem anderen antut—Glück oder dessen Gegenteil—dieselbe Tat kommt später in jeder Weise auf einen selbst zurück und wird am eigenen Selbst erfahren.

Word by Word

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (अत्र कर्म-भावे)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• अन्यत्: something else
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (अत्र कर्म-भावे)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सूचक

• किंचित्: anything
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक सर्वनाम

• क्रियते: is done
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• परे: in/with regard to another
• परे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• कृतम्: done (act)
• कृतम्: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया-फल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘done’

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/Reason marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्ति-अव्यय (adverb)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Sambandha (Time/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• सर्वम्: all (that)
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• आत्मनि: in oneself
• आत्मनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• सम्भवेत्: would arise/come to be
• सम्भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic wheel of karma over Kāśī: a person’s act (giving or harming) shown as an arrow that arcs back to the doer; Gaṅgā and temple skyline anchor the sacred setting.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karmic reciprocity: actions toward others rebound upon the doer, encouraging compassion and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is situated in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī context, but it is not a direct tīrtha-mahātmya statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it states a general karmic principle.