Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

यौवनं धनमायुष्यं पद्मिनीजलबिंदुवत् । अतीव चपलं ज्ञात्वाऽच्युतमेकं समाश्रयेत्

Transliteration

yauvanaṃ dhanamāyuṣyaṃ padminījalabiṃduvat | atīva capalaṃ jñātvā'cyutamekaṃ samāśrayet

Translation

Da man erkennt, dass Jugend, Reichtum und Lebensspanne so wankelmütig sind wie ein Wassertropfen auf einem Lotosblatt, soll man allein bei Acyuta Zuflucht nehmen.

Word by Word

• यौवनम्: youth
• यौवनम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यौवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• धनम्: wealth
• धनम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• आयुष्यम्: life-span
• आयुष्यम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पद्मिनी-जल-बिन्दु-वत्: like a drop of water on a lotus
• पद्मिनी-जल-बिन्दु-वत्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पद्मिनी (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक) + बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (simile marker) ‘-वत्’; पूर्वपदसमूहः: पद्मिन्याः जले बिन्दुः इव (like a drop of water on a lotus-leaf/lotus)

• अतीव: exceedingly
• अतीव: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतीव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (intensifier)

• चपलम्: fickle/unstable
• चपलम्: Karma (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चपल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (यौवनं/धनम्/आयुष्यम् इत्यादीनां समाहारस्य)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund), धातु: ज्ञा (to know)

• अच्युतम्: Achyuta (Vishnu)
• अच्युतम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विष्णोर्नाम

• एकम्: the one alone
• एकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अच्युतम्)

• समाश्रयेत्: should take refuge in
• समाश्रयेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; धातु: श्रि (to resort to) उपसर्ग: सम्-आ-

Speaker

Nārada (continuing speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of a lotus leaf with a trembling water drop; behind it, a pilgrim in Kāśī gazes toward a blue form of Acyuta, with faint cremation-ghāṭa smoke indicating mortality awareness.

Characters & Entities

• Acyuta (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly supports are fragile; lasting safety is found in wholehearted refuge in the Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha; it is a general renunciation-and-refuge instruction within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Taking refuge (samāśraya/śaraṇāgati) in Acyuta is prescribed as the core spiritual act.