Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

यदि स्यात्सुकृतं तत्किं दुर्भगोदरगोऽभवः । अनेनैवानुमानेन बुध्यस्व स्वाल्पपुण्यताम्

Transliteration

yadi syātsukṛtaṃ tatkiṃ durbhagodarago'bhavaḥ | anenaivānumānena budhyasva svālpapuṇyatām

Translation

«Si tu avais vraiment du mérite, pourquoi serais-tu né d’un “sein infortuné” ? Par cette seule déduction, comprends la petitesse de ton puṇya.»

Word by Word

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha/Clause marker (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• स्यात्: were/should be
• स्यात्: Kriyā (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुकृतम्: merit
• सुकृतम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anuvāda/Reference (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (that)

• किम्: what (then)?
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न/Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• दुर्भग-उदरगः: an unfortunate womb-born (one)
• दुर्भग-उदरगः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्भग (प्रातिपदिक) + उदरग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (दुर्भगः उदरगः)

• अभवः: you became/were
• अभवः: Kriyā (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (by this)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic/limiting particle)

• अनुमानेन: by inference
• अनुमानेन: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• बुध्यस्व: understand
• बुध्यस्व: Kriyā (क्रिया/Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• स्व-अल्पपुण्यताम्: your state of little merit
• स्व-अल्पपुण्यताम्: Karma (कर्म/Object of budhyasva)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ता (भाव-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य अल्पं पुण्यं तस्य भावः)

Speaker

Skanda (narrating); direct speech: Suruci

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Suruci delivers the final cutting inference; Dhruva stands frozen, eyes blazing through tears—pain turning into resolve; the throne and lap-seat recede as symbols of rejected worldly validation.

Characters & Entities

• Suruci
• Dhruva
• Sunīti (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching uses karma-language, but the narrative also exposes how ego weaponizes doctrine; true dharma joins discernment with compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it occurs within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered sacred discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a moral claim about puṇya (merit).