Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

यशोहीनं तु यत्क्षेमं तत्क्षेमान्निधनं वरम् । तद्यशः प्राप्यते पुंभिर्नीतिमार्गप्रवर्तने

Transliteration

yaśohīnaṃ tu yatkṣemaṃ tatkṣemānnidhanaṃ varam | tadyaśaḥ prāpyate puṃbhirnītimārgapravartane

Translation

Welfare that is devoid of honor is no true welfare; better than such ‘well-being’ is even death. For that very honor is attained by men through setting forth on the path of righteous conduct.

Word by Word

• यशः-हीनम्: devoid of fame
• यशः-हीनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यशस् (प्रातिपदिक) + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘यशसा हीनम्’

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यद् (relative pronoun)

• क्षेमम्: welfare, security
• क्षेमम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्-यद्-सम्बन्धे (correlative)

• क्षेमात्: than welfare
• क्षेमात्: Apadana (Comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; तुलनार्थे अपादानम्

• निधनम्: death
• निधनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वरम्: better
• वरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicative adjective)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; ‘यशः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• यशः: fame
• यशः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• प्राप्यते: is obtained
• प्राप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• पुम्भिः: by men
• पुम्भिः: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुम्स् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• नीति-मार्ग-प्रवर्तने: in the practice of the path of right conduct
• नीति-मार्ग-प्रवर्तने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीति (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (श्रृङ्खला)—‘नीतेः मार्गः’ + ‘तस्मिन् प्रवर्तनम्’ → ‘नीतिमार्गप्रवर्तनम्’

Speaker

Pārāvatī (female pigeon) (deduced from immediate narrative: wife advising husband)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral counsel scene: a dignified figure instructs another at a threshold, with symbolic scales—one side ‘kṣema’ (comfort) and the other ‘yaśas’ (honor)—the honor side shining brighter; in the background, Kāśī’s temples suggest dharma’s setting.

Characters & Entities

• Pārāvatī (implied)
• Pārāvata (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prosperity without dharma and honor is empty; true worth arises from living by nīti (ethical dharma), even at personal risk.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is named in this verse; it functions as a dharma-teaching within the broader Kāśī context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the ‘prescription’ is ethical—entering and practicing the path of nīti (righteous conduct).