Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

जीवितं मरणं वाथ नाभिकांक्षेत्क्वचिद्यतिः । कालमेव प्रतीक्षेत निर्देशं भृतको यथा

Transliteration

jīvitaṃ maraṇaṃ vātha nābhikāṃkṣetkvacidyatiḥ | kālameva pratīkṣeta nirdeśaṃ bhṛtako yathā

Translation

Un renonçant ne doit jamais désirer ni la vie ni la mort. Qu’il attende seulement le Temps, tel un serviteur attendant l’ordre de son maître.

Word by Word

• जीवितम्: life
• जीवितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• मरणम्: death
• मरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• अथ: and/then
• अथ: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक (connective/then)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• अभिकाङ्क्षेत्: should desire/long for
• अभिकाङ्क्षेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-काṅ्क्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• क्वचित्: ever/anywhere
• क्वचित्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक (indefinite adverb)

• यतिः: an ascetic
• यतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• एव: only
• एव: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• प्रतीक्षेत: should wait for
• प्रतीक्षेत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• निर्देशम्: instruction/command
• निर्देशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• भृतकः: a hired servant
• भृतकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृतक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• यथा: as/like
• यथा: Upamana (Comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/रीतिवाचक (comparative manner)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic seated calmly as seasons pass; a subtle wheel of Time behind him; he remains steady, neither grasping at life nor courting death, eyes serene.

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (Time)
• Yati

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Freedom is shown by non-craving: the renunciant neither clings to living nor seeks death, but abides in surrender to Time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s renunciant teaching atmosphere; it does not name a particular Kāśī tīrtha here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A mental-vow (saṅkalpa) of equanimity: do not desire life or death; wait upon Kāla without agitation.