Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

सद्विद्या सुमनो धेहि ब्राह्मणाचारमाचर । तवानुरूपारूपेण वयसाकुलशीलतः

Transliteration

sadvidyā sumano dhehi brāhmaṇācāramācara | tavānurūpārūpeṇa vayasākulaśīlataḥ

Translation

Établis en toi la vraie science et un esprit bienveillant ; pratique la conduite d’un brāhmaṇa. Car, conforme ou non à ce qui te sied, à cause de l’instabilité propre à la jeunesse…

Word by Word

• सद्विद्याम्: true knowledge
• सद्विद्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सुमनः: O good-minded one
• सुमनः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुमनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; (सम्बोधन: ‘O good-minded one’)

• धेहि: place/establish (in yourself)
• धेहि: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √धा (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणाचारम्: Brahmin conduct
• ब्राह्मणाचारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• आचर: practice
• आचर: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चर् (धातु) उपसर्ग-आ
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अनुरूपारूपेण: according to what is fitting in form/nature
• अनुरूपारूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुरूप (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; करणार्थे (by/according to)

• वयसा: by age / in respect of age
• वयसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• आकुलशीलतः: because of a restless disposition
• आकुलशीलतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आकुल (प्रातिपदिक) + शील (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिलन्त (ablatival adverb: ‘because of/from’), हेत्वर्थे

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) narrating to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: son/young man

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young man sits with a manuscript, visibly distracted by the bustle of the ghat; an elder gently steadies him, pointing to the text and to the heart, symbolizing sadvidyā and sumanas.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa-dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Youthful restlessness should be steadied through sadvidyā, right-mindedness, and brāhmaṇa conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred context; this verse emphasizes inner discipline rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it prescribes brāhmaṇācāra (norms of conduct) and cultivation of knowledge.