Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

परिनिर्मथ्य वाग्जालं निर्णीतमिदमेव हि । नोपकारात्परो धर्मो नापकारादवं परम्

Transliteration

parinirmathya vāgjālaṃ nirṇītamidameva hi | nopakārātparo dharmo nāpakārādavaṃ param

Translation

Nachdem das Wortgeflecht durchgeknetet und durchwühlt ist, steht dies fest: Keine Dharma ist höher als Wohltun, und kein Sturz ist schlimmer als Schaden zuzufügen.

Word by Word

• parinirmathya: having thoroughly examined
• parinirmathya: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pari-ni-math (धातु) (मन्थने)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund): ‘having thoroughly churned/examined’

• vāk-jālam: a net of words (verbal tangle)
• vāk-jālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक) + jāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; ‘वाचां जालम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• nirṇītam: is ascertained
• nirṇītam: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-ṇī (धातु) (नयने/निर्णये)
• Form: कृदन्त: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘निर्णीतम्’ = ascertained

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: indeed/only)

• hi: for, indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• na: no/not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• upakārāt: than beneficence/help
• upakārāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upakāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन

• paraḥ: higher
• paraḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘धर्मः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• dharmaḥ: dharma
• dharmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• na: no/not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• apakārāt: than harm
• apakārāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apakāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन

• avam: lower, worse
• avam: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘param’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; अवम = नीचम्

• param: anything else (as supreme)
• param: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (अस्ति) इति अध्याहारः

Speaker

Pārāśarya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of scholars debates with palm-leaf manuscripts; the scene resolves as a sage writes the final aphorism: ‘No dharma higher than help; no fall worse than harm,’ with Kāśī’s temples behind.

Characters & Entities

• Upakāra (benefit)
• Apakāra (harm)
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The essence of dharma is beneficence; the essence of adharma is harm—this is presented as the final, distilled teaching.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the verse provides a universal dharma-sāra (essence of righteousness) within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it is a direct ethical imperative: avoid harm and practice beneficence.