Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

अन्येनुलोमजन्मानः प्रतिलो मभवा अपि । स्वपारंपर्यतो दृष्टं मनाग्वर्त्म न तत्यजुः

Transliteration

anyenulomajanmānaḥ pratilo mabhavā api | svapāraṃparyato dṛṣṭaṃ manāgvartma na tatyajuḥ

Translation

Andere — ob aus Anuloma- oder sogar Pratiloma-Verbindungen geboren — gaben nicht im Geringsten den in ihrer eigenen Überlieferung erkannten Weg auf; standhaft hielten sie an der ererbten rechten Lebensführung fest.

Word by Word

• anye: others
• anye: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (others)

• anuloma-janmānaḥ: those of anuloma birth
• anuloma-janmānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anuloma (प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘अनुलोमं जन्म येषां ते’

• pratiloma-bhavāḥ: those of pratiloma origin
• pratiloma-bhavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratiloma (प्रातिपदिक) + bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘प्रतिलोमः भवः/जन्म येषां ते’

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• sva-pāraṃparyataḥ: from their own tradition
• sva-pāraṃparyataḥ: Hetu/Apādāna (Source/Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāraṃparya (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb) = ‘from/according to one’s tradition’

• dṛṣṭam: seen; observed
• dṛṣṭam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त; दृश् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd)/प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कृदन्त (क्त) ‘seen/observed’—here qualifying ‘vartma’

• manāk: even slightly
• manāk: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: manāk (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अल्पार्थक-अव्यय (a little)

• vartma: path; course
• vartma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vartman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• tatyajuḥ: they abandoned
• tatyajuḥ: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; √त्यज् = to abandon

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: pilgrimage-inquirer within the Purāṇic frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mixed community in Kāśī—householders and students—listening to a learned teacher; different social backgrounds are present, yet all follow orderly ritual and ethical conduct.

Characters & Entities

• Divodāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is protected when people preserve ethical conduct and do not drift from righteous tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s civilizational holiness is implied through a society anchored in steadfast ācāra (right conduct).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual; it emphasizes adherence to accepted moral and customary discipline.