Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

गर्वः परोत्र विद्यानां धनगर्वोत्र वै महान् । मुक्तिगर्वेण नो भिक्षां प्रयच्छंत्यत्र वासिनः

Transliteration

garvaḥ parotra vidyānāṃ dhanagarvotra vai mahān | muktigarveṇa no bhikṣāṃ prayacchaṃtyatra vāsinaḥ

Translation

Here, pride in learning is a great obstacle; here, pride in wealth is indeed great. And because of pride about ‘liberation,’ the residents here do not give alms.

Word by Word

• गर्वः: pride
• गर्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• परः: different
• परः: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘other/different’ (predicate adjective)

• उत्र: there
• उत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there; in that place)

• विद्यानाम्: of knowledges/learning
• विद्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• धन-गर्वः: pride of wealth
• धन-गर्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक) + गर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धनस्य गर्वः)

• उत्र: there
• उत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/indeed)

• महान्: great
• महान्: Vidhaya (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• मुक्ति-गर्वेण: by pride of liberation
• मुक्ति-गर्वेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + गर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुक्तेः गर्वः)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• उ: indeed
• उ: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• भिक्षाम्: alms
• भिक्षाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• प्रयच्छन्ति: they give
• प्रयच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; ‘they give’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• वासिनः: residents
• वासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; agent noun ‘dwellers’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wealthy scholar in Kāśī turns away from a beggar; a humble devotee intervenes and offers alms; Śiva’s unseen gaze suggests moral accountability.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride—whether in learning, wealth, or even spiritual attainment—undermines dharma and generosity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the setting, teaching the inner qualifications needed to truly benefit from the sacred kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied ethical instruction: avoid pride and cultivate generosity (bhikṣā/dāna), rather than withholding due to spiritual vanity.