Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

यद्दुष्प्रसाध्यं हि पितुरपि त्रिजगतीतले । तत्सूनुना सुसाध्यं स्यादत्र दृष्टांतता मयि

Transliteration

yadduṣprasādhyaṃ hi piturapi trijagatītale | tatsūnunā susādhyaṃ syādatra dṛṣṭāṃtatā mayi

Translation

What is difficult to accomplish even for a father in the three worlds may become easily accomplished by his son; of this, I myself am the example here.

Word by Word

• yat: that which
• yat: Karta (Subject of syāt)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — 'that which/that (thing)'

• duṣprasādhyam: hard to accomplish
• duṣprasādhyam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dus- (दुस्) + prasādhya (प्रसाध्य) < pra-sādh (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययार्थे साध्य 'accomplishable'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — 'hard to accomplish'

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (हि)
• Form: निपात (particle) — 'indeed/for'

• pituḥ: of the father
• pituḥ: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (पितृ) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, एकवचन — 'of the father'

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अपि)
• Form: निपात — 'even'

• tri-jagat-ītale: on the earth/surface of the three worlds
• tri-jagat-ītale: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (त्रि) + jagat (जगत्) + ītala (ईतल) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — 'on the surface of the three worlds'

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — correlative 'that'

• sūnunā: by the son
• sūnunā: Karana (Instrument/agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūnu (सूनु) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन — 'by the son'

• su-sādhyam: easily achievable
• su-sādhyam: Visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su- (सु) + sādhya (साध्य) < sādh (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — 'easily accomplishable'

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 'would be/may become'

• atra: here
• atra: Kriya-viseshana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अत्र)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — 'here/in this matter'

• dṛṣṭāntatā: (is) an example
• dṛṣṭāntatā: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dṛṣṭānta (दृष्टान्त) + -tā (ता) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'exemplification/state of being an example'

• mayi: in me
• mayi: Adhikarana (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; सप्तमी, एकवचन — 'in me'

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (implied as the difficult attainment)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas and Gaṇeśa (in-scene); broader audience via narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva explains, as a calm teaching, that the son’s capability can make easy what is difficult even for the father across the three worlds, pointing to himself as the example.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gaṇeśa (as son)
• Three worlds (trijagat)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic theme of filial spiritual power: the son’s grace and capability can surpass even the father’s, when aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly Kāśī/ Vārāṇasī, as the surrounding discourse is about attaining the sacred city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal illustration supporting the Kāśī attainment narrative.