Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

पितृवंश्यामातृवंश्याःपतिवंश्यास्त्रयस्त्रयः । पतिव्रतायाः पुण्येन स्वर्गसौख्यानि भुंजते

Transliteration

pitṛvaṃśyāmātṛvaṃśyāḥpativaṃśyāstrayastrayaḥ | pativratāyāḥ puṇyena svargasaukhyāni bhuṃjate

Translation

Three generations of her father’s line, three of her mother’s line, and three of her husband’s line enjoy the comforts of heaven by the merit of that faithful wife.

Word by Word

• pitṛ-vaṃśyāḥ: those of the paternal lineage
• pitṛ-vaṃśyāḥ: Karta (Subject part)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṃśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पितृ-वंशे जाताः)

• mātṛ-vaṃśyāḥ: those of the maternal lineage
• mātṛ-vaṃśyāḥ: Karta (Subject part)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṃśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मातृ-वंशे जाताः)

• pati-vaṃśyāḥ: those of the husband’s lineage
• pati-vaṃśyāḥ: Karta (Subject part)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṃśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पति-वंशे जाताः)

• trayaḥ: three
• trayaḥ: Visheshana (Quantifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• trayaḥ: three (sets)
• trayaḥ: Visheshana (Quantifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic)

• pativratāyāḥ: of the devoted wife
• pativratāyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक) + vratā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः

• puṇyena: by the merit
• puṇyena: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• svarga-saukhyāni: heavenly सुखs/pleasures
• svarga-saukhyāni: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + saukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (स्वर्गस्य सौख्यानि)

• bhuṃjate: enjoy
• bhuṃjate: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (भुज् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa teaching voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nine ancestral figures (three lines of three) shown in a celestial register receiving light/nectar of merit from the pativratā’s radiance; heavenly comfort imagery (garlands, seats, cool shade).

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Personal virtue is presented as transmissible merit that uplifts multiple family lineages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not specify a tīrtha; it aligns with Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s broader sacred-dharma worldview.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the emphasis is on puṇya and its ancestral impact.