Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

तृतीयाश्रमिणो यस्मिन्वनवृत्तिकृतादराः । निःस्पृहा ग्रामवार्तासु वेदवर्त्मानुसारिणः

Transliteration

tṛtīyāśramiṇo yasminvanavṛttikṛtādarāḥ | niḥspṛhā grāmavārtāsu vedavartmānusāriṇaḥ

Translation

Dort ehrten die Angehörigen des dritten Āśrama (Vānaprasthas) in Andacht die Waldlebensweise; frei von Verlangen nach Dorfangelegenheiten folgten sie dem vom Veda gewiesenen Pfad.

Word by Word

• tṛtīya-āśramiṇaḥ: those of the third āśrama (forest-dwellers)
• tṛtīya-āśramiṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛtīya + āśramin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तृतीय आश्रमः येषाम् = वानप्रस्थाः)

• yasmin: in which
• yasmin: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• vana-vṛtti-kṛta-ādarāḥ: showing respect for forest-based livelihood
• vana-vṛtti-kṛta-ādarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vana + vṛtti + kṛta + ādara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वनवृत्तौ कृतः आदरः येषाम्)

• niḥspṛhāḥ: free from desire
• niḥspṛhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥ-spṛha (प्रातिपदिक; निः + स्पृह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; उपसर्ग ‘निः’ (without)

• grāma-vārtāsu: in village affairs/news
• grāma-vārtāsu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma + vārtā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ग्रामस्य वार्ताः)

• veda-vartma-anusāriṇaḥ: followers of the Vedic path
• veda-vartma-anusāriṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda + vartman + anusārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वेदवर्त्मनि अनुसारिणः)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vānaprasthas in a quiet forest hermitage: simple huts, sacred fire, deer and birds nearby; elders with bark garments and matted hair, reading or meditating, indifferent to distant village bustle.

Characters & Entities

• Divodāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Progress in dharma matures into detachment and Vedic-aligned simplicity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s sacred milieu is supported by depicting renunciant-friendly values in its associated kingdom.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it recommends the vānaprastha discipline and detachment.