Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

न दानानि न वै यज्ञा न तपांसि व्रतानि च । शंभोः प्रसादहेतूनि कारणं तत्कृपैव हि

Transliteration

na dānāni na vai yajñā na tapāṃsi vratāni ca | śaṃbhoḥ prasādahetūni kāraṇaṃ tatkṛpaiva hi

Translation

Weder Gaben noch Opfer, weder Askesen noch Gelübde sind die wahre Ursache für Śambhus Gunst; der Grund jener Gnade ist allein Sein Erbarmen.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: सम्बन्ध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• दानानि: gifts/charities
• दानानि: कर्ता/कर्म (Enumerated items)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• न: nor
• न: सम्बन्ध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• वै: indeed
• वै: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• यज्ञाः: sacrifices
• यज्ञाः: कर्ता/कर्म (Enumerated items)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• न: nor
• न: सम्बन्ध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• तपांसि: austerities
• तपांसि: कर्ता/कर्म (Enumerated items)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• व्रतानि: vows
• व्रतानि: कर्ता/कर्म (Enumerated items)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• शंभोः: of Śambhu
• शंभोः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• प्रसादहेतूनि: causes of (his) favor
• प्रसादहेतूनि: प्रधाना/विशेष्य (Predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prasāda-hetu (प्रातिपदिक; प्रसाद + हेतु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रसादस्य हेतवः)

• कारणम्: the cause
• कारणम्: कर्ता/प्रधाना (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तत्कृपा: his grace
• तत्कृपा: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad-kṛpā (प्रातिपदिक; तत् + कृपा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तस्य कृपा)

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: सम्बन्ध (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• हि: for/indeed
• हि: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (for/indeed)

Speaker

Tvaṣṭṛ’s son (tvāṣṭraḥ)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: offerings (dāna vessels, yajña fire, tapas posture, vrata marks) fade into the background while a radiant stream of compassion from Śiva’s presence envelops a simple devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual merits are secondary; Śiva’s prasāda ultimately flows from kṛpā—compassion—beyond calculation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Kāśī Khaṇḍa, the teaching supports the Kāśī-māhātmya theme of Viśveśvara’s freely-given mercy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna, yajña, tapas, and vrata are named but explicitly stated not to be the decisive cause of Śiva’s grace in this passage.