Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

यस्य धर्मेऽस्ति जिज्ञासा यस्य पापाद्भयं महत् । श्रोतव्यानि पुराणानि धमर्मूलानि तेन वै

Transliteration

yasya dharme'sti jijñāsā yasya pāpādbhayaṃ mahat | śrotavyāni purāṇāni dhamarmūlāni tena vai

Translation

Quiconque désire connaître le Dharma, et quiconque redoute grandement le péché—doit assurément écouter les Purāṇa, qui sont les racines du Dharma.

Word by Word

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitival)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• धर्मे: in dharma
• धर्मे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• अस्ति: is
• अस्ति: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु) ‘to be’
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• जिज्ञासा: desire to know; inquiry
• जिज्ञासा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिज्ञासा (प्रातिपदिक; desiderative noun from √ज्ञा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitival)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• पापात्: from sin
• पापात्: Apādāna (Source of fear)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-एकवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Singular)

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• महत्: great
• महत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• श्रोतव्यानि: to be listened to
• श्रोतव्यानि: Karma (What should be done/heard)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √श्रु (धातु) ‘to hear’ (कृदन्त: तव्यत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (Gerundive/तव्यत्: ‘to be heard’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Plural)

• पुराणानि: Purāṇas
• पुराणानि: Karta (Subject complement with gerundive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Plural)

• धर्म: dharma
• धर्म: Viśeṣaṇa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• मूलानि: rooted in dharma; sources of dharma
• मूलानि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of purāṇāni)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Plural); समासः: धर्म+मूल

• तेन: by him; therefore
• तेन: Karta (Agent; ‘by him’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक-निपात (particle of emphasis)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / dharma-jijñāsu

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of listeners at a Kāśī ghāṭ at dusk: a reciter on a small platform reads a Purāṇa; listeners include householders and ascetics; above them, a symbolic banyan with roots glowing, labeled ‘dharma-mūla’.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Pāpa
• Purāṇa-śravaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening to Purāṇas is a direct means to learn Dharma and reduce the burden of sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching setting (Kāśīkhaṇḍa), but no specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devotional listening) of Purāṇas is prescribed.