Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

स्वयं वस्तुमशक्तोपि वासयेत्तीर्थवासिनम् । अप्येकमपि मूल्येन स वस्तुःफलभाग्ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

svayaṃ vastumaśaktopi vāsayettīrthavāsinam | apyekamapi mūlyena sa vastuḥphalabhāgdhruvam

Translation

Auch wenn man selbst dort nicht wohnen kann, soll man einen Pilger beherbergen, der am Tīrtha weilt; selbst um den Preis eines einzigen Besitzstücks wird man gewiss am Ertrag dieses heiligen Aufenthalts teilhaft.

Word by Word

• स्वयम्: oneself
• स्वयम्: Karta (Emphasis/कर्ता)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मार्थक (oneself)

• वस्तुम्: to stay/dwell
• वस्तुम्: Karma (Purpose/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु) → वस्तु (कृदन्त/तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); क्रियार्थक (to dwell/stay)

• अशक्तः: unable
• अशक्तः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-समास/नकार-निषेध (unable)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (even/also)

• वासयेत्: should lodge/let stay
• वासयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वासय् (णिजन्त) (धातु: वस्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative: cause to dwell/lodge)

• तीर्थवासिनम्: a pilgrim/one dwelling at a tīrtha
• तीर्थवासिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तीर्थे वासी)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (even)

• एकम्: one (thing)
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (even)

• मूल्येन: with a price/payment
• मूल्येन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वस्तुः: a dweller/resident
• वस्तुः: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• फलभाग्: a sharer of the fruit (merit)
• फलभाग्: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (फलस्य भागी)

• ध्रुवम्: certainly/assured
• ध्रुवम्: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; गुणवाचक (agreeing with सः/फलभाग्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: instructional tone within Kāśī-māhātmya discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (via tīrtha-vāsin-sevā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Householders unable to undertake full kṣetra-vāsa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder offers a simple room, water, and food to a weary Kāśī pilgrim; the pilgrim’s aura subtly shows the Gaṅgā and Viśvanātha, indicating the host receives the fruit of tīrtha-vāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Kāśī (context implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supporting pilgrims through hospitality allows one to partake in tīrtha-merit even without personally residing there.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is given in the Kāśī context, applying to Kāśī as the exemplary tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Atithi-sevā: lodging/hosting a tīrtha-vāsin (pilgrim/resident of the sacred place), even at personal cost.