Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

बाहुलं ब्रह्मचर्येण यः क्षिपेच्छुचिमानसः । समस्तं हायनं तेन ब्रह्मचर्यकृतं भवेत्

Transliteration

bāhulaṃ brahmacaryeṇa yaḥ kṣipecchucimānasaḥ | samastaṃ hāyanaṃ tena brahmacaryakṛtaṃ bhavet

Translation

Celui qui, l’esprit purifié, traverse l’abondance des jours d’Ūrja par le brahmacarya, pour lui l’année entière est comme vécue dans la continence.

Word by Word

• bāhulam: abundance, much (time/quantity)
• bāhulam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāhula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• brahmacaryeṇa: by (means of) celibacy
• brahmacaryeṇa: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental singular

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun) — Masculine, Nominative singular

• kṣipet: should spend/extend (devote)
• kṣipet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣip (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम् — Optative, 3rd singular

• śuci-mānasaḥ: pure-minded
• śuci-mānasaḥ: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (शुचि मानसम् यस्य) — Masculine, Nominative singular; adjective of 'yaḥ'

• samastam: entire, whole
• samastam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (hāyanam) — Neuter, Accusative singular

• hāyanam: year
• hāyanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāyana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karana (Instrument/Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम — Instrumental singular ‘by him/thereby’

• brahmacarya-kṛtam: (is) accomplished by celibacy
• brahmacarya-kṛtam: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त, क्त; √kṛ धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मचर्येण कृतम्) क्त-कृदन्तम् — Neuter, Nominative singular; PPP used predicatively

• bhavet: would become, would be
• bhavet: Kriyā (Copula/Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम् — Optative, 3rd singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ūrja-brahmacarya in Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: the votary practicing brahmacarya through Kārtika days, shown as a garland of 30 day-lamps transforming into a full circle of 12 month-symbols—signifying 'the whole year' achieved through one month’s restraint.

Characters & Entities

• Ūrja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Focused continence in Kārtika is credited with vast merit—like the spiritual power of year-long restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī Khaṇḍa context frames the teaching within Kashi’s dharma, though the verse itself is about vow-merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practice brahmacarya with a purified mind throughout the (many) days of the Ūrja/Kārtika observance.