Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

शौचं स्नानं तपो दानं मौनेज्याध्ययनं व्रतम् । उपोषणोपस्थ दंडौ दशैते नियमाः स्मृताः

Transliteration

śaucaṃ snānaṃ tapo dānaṃ maunejyādhyayanaṃ vratam | upoṣaṇopastha daṃḍau daśaite niyamāḥ smṛtāḥ

Translation

Purity, sacred bathing, austerity, charity, silence, worship, study of scripture, vowed observances, fasting, and restraint of the generative impulse—these ten are remembered as the niyamas.

Word by Word

• śaucam: purity, cleanliness
• śaucam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śauca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; abstract noun

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; visarga form

• dānam: charity, giving
• dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• mauna: silence
• mauna: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mauna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; (from muni) silence

• ijyā: worship, sacrifice
• ijyā: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ijyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; worship/sacrifice

• adhyayanam: study (of scripture)
• adhyayanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• vratam: vow, observance
• vratam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• upoṣaṇa: fasting
• upoṣaṇa: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upoṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; fasting

• upastha-daṇḍau: (restraint of) the organ and discipline/punishment
• upastha-daṇḍau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upastha (प्रातिपदिक) + daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन; dvandva; ‘control/restraint of the sexual organ’ + ‘punishment/discipline’ (as two items)

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; here used adjectivally with plural noun; ‘ten’

• ete: these
• ete: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally

• niyamāḥ: observances, disciplines
• niyamāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• smṛtāḥ: are said/remembered
• smṛtāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘are remembered/declared’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/seekers within the Kāśī-māhātmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāśī pilgrim at dawn performs ritual bathing, then sits in quiet mauna with a japa-mālā, offering flowers and bilva to a Śiva-liṅga while a learned brāhmaṇa recites śāstra; nearby, a small act of dāna is given to a mendicant.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is stabilized through disciplined daily observances—inner purity, worship, study, charity, and restraint—fit for a pilgrim’s life in Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is the implied sacred setting of the discourse, presenting dharmic disciplines as especially fruitful in this kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (sacred bathing), ijyā (worship), adhyayana (study), dāna (charity), upoṣaṇa (fasting), and vrata (vows) are explicitly listed.