Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

न वाजपेयावभृथे स्नातो लोभवशादहम् । इह जन्मनि चान्यस्मिन्बहुमृष्टान्नपानदे

Transliteration

na vājapeyāvabhṛthe snāto lobhavaśādaham | iha janmani cānyasminbahumṛṣṭānnapānade

Translation

Sous l’emprise de l’avidité, je ne me suis pas baigné lors de l’ablution finale du rite du Vājapeya ; et dans cette naissance—ou dans toute autre—je ne fus pas un donateur généreux d’abondants mets et breuvages raffinés.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• vājapeyāvabhṛthe: at the Vājapeya’s avabhṛtha (final bath)
• vājapeyāvabhṛthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vājapeya (प्रातिपदिक) + avabhṛtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वाजपेयस्य अवभृथः (concluding bath of the Vājapeya rite)

• snātaḥ: (I) bathed / having bathed
• snātaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे 'having bathed'

• lobhavaśāt: out of greed
• lobhavaśāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lobha (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; लोभस्य वशः (under the control of greed)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• janmani: in (this) birth
• janmani: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• anyasmin: in another
• anyasmin: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (in another)

• bahumṛṣṭānnapānade: as a giver of abundant refined food and drink
• bahumṛṣṭānnapānade: Adhikarana (State/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + mṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक) + pāna (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहूनि मृष्टानि अन्नपानानि ददाति इति (giver of much fine food and drink)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim recalls a Vedic sacrifice scene with a distant yajña-vedi and priests; foreground shows empty hands and a closed granary, symbolizing withheld food-gifts.

Characters & Entities

• Vājapeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed blocks both ritual completion and compassionate generosity; dharma is fulfilled by purity (snāna) and nourishment-giving (anna-dāna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching setting of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, but the verse focuses on yajña-rites and charity rather than a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avabhṛtha-snāna connected with the Vājapeya yajña, and the virtue of giving plentiful food and drink (anna-pāna-dāna).