Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

सप्तमेथाष्टमेवाब्दे सावित्रीं ब्राह्मणोर्हति । नृपस्त्वेकादशे वैश्यो द्वादशे वा यथाकुलम्

Transliteration

saptamethāṣṭamevābde sāvitrīṃ brāhmaṇorhati | nṛpastvekādaśe vaiśyo dvādaśe vā yathākulam

Translation

En la septième année —ou bien la huitième— le brāhmaṇa est digne de recevoir la Sāvitrī (upanayana). Le kṣatriya, en tant que roi, l’est dans la onzième; et le vaiśya dans la douzième, ou selon l’usage de la famille.

Word by Word

• saptame: in the seventh
• saptame: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• atha: then
• atha: Kriya-visheshana (Sequencer/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर-अव्यय (then)

• aṣṭame: in the eighth
• aṣṭame: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• abde: in the year
• abde: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• sāvitrīm: the Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī initiation/recitation)
• sāvitrīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāvitrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• arhati: is entitled/should receive
• arhati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present indicative), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• nṛpaḥ: a kṣatriya/king
• nṛpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tu: but
• tu: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेष-अव्यय (but)

• ekādaśe: in the eleventh
• ekādaśe: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekādaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• vaiśyaḥ: a vaiśya
• vaiśyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• dvādaśe: in the twelfth
• dvādaśe: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (or)

• yathā-kulam: according to family custom
• yathā-kulam: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्यय-प्रयोग (indeclinable adverbial)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Upanayana ceremony: a boy with shaved head tuft, wearing yajñopavīta, receiving Sāvitrī/Gāyatrī instruction from guru; sacred fire, staff (daṇḍa), deer-skin, and a Kāśī ghat/temple silhouette behind.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī)
• Brāhmaṇa
• Kṣatriya (Nṛpa)
• Vaiśya
• Upanayana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Initiation into Vedic discipline (Sāvitrī/upanayana) is time-bound and duty-oriented, forming the basis for dharmic life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered dharma teaching, not to the praise of a single named shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upanayana/Sāvitrī eligibility: brāhmaṇa in year 7 or 8; kṣatriya in year 11; vaiśya in year 12, with allowance for family custom.