Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

हवनं ब्राह्मणमुखे यत्करोमि द्विजोत्तम । मन्ये क्रतुक्रियाभ्योपि तद्विशिष्टं महामते

Transliteration

havanaṃ brāhmaṇamukhe yatkaromi dvijottama | manye kratukriyābhyopi tadviśiṣṭaṃ mahāmate

Translation

Ô le meilleur des deux-fois-nés, l’offrande que je dépose dans la bouche d’un brāhmaṇa, je la tiens pour supérieure même aux actes rituels des grands sacrifices, ô sage.

Word by Word

• हवनम्: oblation; act of offering (homa)
• हवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular)

• ब्राह्मणमुखे: in the mouth of a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणमुखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्राह्मणस्य मुखम्)

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• करोमि: I do; I perform
• करोमि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present Indicative, 1st person, Singular)

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular); कर्मधारय (उत्तमः द्विजः)

• मन्ये: I think; I consider
• मन्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Present Indicative, 1st person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

• क्रतुक्रियाभ्यः: than ritual-actions (of sacrifices)
• क्रतुक्रियाभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Feminine, Ablative, Plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्रतोः क्रियाः)

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (particle: even/also)

• तत्: that (this act)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); निर्देश (demonstrative)

• विशिष्टम्: superior; distinguished
• विशिष्टम्: Karta-predicative (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशिष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √शिष्/√शास्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); भूतकृदन्त/कर्मणि-प्रयोग (past participle: distinguished)

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मह (प्रातिपदिक) + मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular); कर्मधारय (महती मतिः यस्य)

Speaker

A dharmaśīla king (addressing a Brāhmaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharmic king reverently offers food and gifts into the ‘mouth’ of a seated Brāhmaṇa, treating him as the sacred fire; attendants hold vessels of ghee, grains, and dakṣiṇā while the city of Kāśī glows in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Havana (oblation)
• Kratu (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate giving—especially feeding the worthy—is portrayed as a living sacrifice surpassing ceremonial rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse arises in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered dharma discourse, though it does not name a specific ghat or shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Brāhmaṇa-bhojana (feeding Brāhmaṇas) is framed as ‘havana’—an oblation offered into a sacred ‘fire’.