Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

इदमेव हि मांगल्यमिदमेव धनार्जनम् । जीवितस्य फलं चैतद्यद्दामोदरकीर्तनम्

Transliteration

idameva hi māṃgalyamidameva dhanārjanam | jīvitasya phalaṃ caitadyaddāmodarakīrtanam

Translation

Ceci seul est la véritable auspiciosité ; ceci seul est le vrai « gain de richesse » : le fruit même de la vie, c’est cela—chanter et glorifier Dāmodara.

Word by Word

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अवधान/निश्चयार्थक (emphatic)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/प्रमाणार्थ (for/indeed)

• māṅgyalam: auspiciousness
• māṅgyalam: Pradhāna-predicative (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṅgalya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अवधानार्थक

• dhanārjanam: acquisition of wealth
• dhanārjanam: Pradhāna-predicative (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक) + arjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धनस्य अर्जनम्)

• jīvitasya: of life
• jīvitasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Pradhāna-predicative (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• yat: which/that
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• dāmodara-kīrtanam: the chanting/praise of Dāmodara
• dāmodara-kīrtanam: Pradhāna-predicative (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāmodara (प्रातिपदिक) + kīrtana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दामोदरस्य कीर्तनम्)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (general setting)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī chants ‘Dāmodara’ with karatālas; behind, ghāṭ steps descend to Gaṅgā, lamps flicker at dusk, and a small Viṣṇu shrine bears a garlanded image of child Kṛṣṇa with a waist-cord (dāma).

Characters & Entities

• Dāmodara
• Vāsudeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest auspiciousness and life’s true gain is devotion expressed as chanting the Lord’s names.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa devotional narrative; it does not name a particular Kāśī tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kīrtana (devotional chanting) of Dāmodara.