Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तासां च पंचसूनानां निराकरणहेतवः । क्रतवः पंच निर्दिष्टा गृहि श्रेयोभिवर्धनाः

Transliteration

tāsāṃ ca paṃcasūnānāṃ nirākaraṇahetavaḥ | kratavaḥ paṃca nirdiṣṭā gṛhi śreyobhivardhanāḥ

Translation

Et pour effacer les fautes issues de ces cinq « abattages quotidiens », cinq sacrifices sont prescrits, qui accroissent la prospérité et le bien spirituel du maître de maison.

Word by Word

• तासाम्: of those
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• पञ्चसूनानाम्: of the five sūnā-s
• पञ्चसूनानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + सूना (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचनम्; समासः द्विगु (पञ्च सूना:)

• निराकरणहेतवः: causes/means of removal
• निराकरणहेतवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निराकरण + हेतु (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; समासः तत्पुरुषः (निराकरणस्य हेतवः)

• क्रतवः: sacrificial rites
• क्रतवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनार्थे; विशेषणम्

• निर्दिष्टाः: are prescribed/indicated
• निर्दिष्टाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + दिश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक: निर्दिष्ट)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (क्रतवः)

• गृहि: in the house
• गृहि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; वैदिक/छान्दस-रूपम् (गृहे इत्यर्थे)

• श्रेयः-अभिवर्धनाः: increasing welfare/merit
• श्रेयः-अभिवर्धनाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् + अभिवर्धन (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; समासः तत्पुरुषः (श्रेयसः अभिवर्धनाः) विशेषणम् (क्रतवः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: five small altars or symbolic stations labeled for the five yajñas, with the householder moving clockwise, suggesting a daily circuit of duties.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (implied context)
• Pañcasūnā
• Pañcayajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma provides constructive remedies: the five daily sacrifices purify the inevitable faults of ordinary household activity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Kāśīkhaṇḍa, Kāśī is the sacred milieu where such daily dharma is taught as a path to śreyas and merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prescribes five sacrifices (pañcayajña) as the means to remove the effects of the pañcasūnā.