Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

यत्रैकद्विजमात्रं तु भोजयित्वा यथेच्छया । वाजपेयाधिकं पुण्यं तां काशीं को विमुंचति

Transliteration

yatraikadvijamātraṃ tu bhojayitvā yathecchayā | vājapeyādhikaṃ puṇyaṃ tāṃ kāśīṃ ko vimuṃcati

Translation

Là où, en nourrissant ne fût-ce qu’un seul brāhmaṇa selon son vœu, le mérite dépasse celui du sacrifice Vājapeya—qui délaisserait cette Kāśī ?

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक)

• एकद्विजमात्रम्: just one brāhmaṇa (one twice-born)
• एकद्विजमात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक-द्विज-मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘मात्र’ = only/just

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — contrast/emphasis

• भोजयित्वा: having fed
• भोजयित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भोजय् (धातु; णिच् of भुज्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund) — having fed; परस्मैपद-प्रयोगसम्भव

• यथेच्छया: according to one’s wish
• यथेच्छया: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा-इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव (अव्ययवत्), तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण प्रयोगः — “as one wishes”

• वाजपेयाधिकम्: greater than (the merit of) the Vājapeya sacrifice
• वाजपेयाधिकम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाजपेय-अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ताम्: that (her)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विमुञ्चति: abandons
• विमुञ्चति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī—Brāhmaṇa-bhojana/Anna-dāna

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-host in Kāśī respectfully serves a single brāhmaṇa a full meal on a leaf-plate; in the background, a grand Vājapeya sacrifice scene appears faint and secondary, indicating the feeding’s greater merit.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Dvija (brāhmaṇa)
• Bhojana (feeding)
• Vājapeya-yajña
• Puṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, compassionate charity (feeding) is elevated above grand ritualism, emphasizing accessible dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where acts of dāna—especially feeding—are said to yield extraordinary results.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Feed even one dvija (brāhmaṇa) according to one’s capacity; it is praised as surpassing Vājapeya-sacrifice merit in Kāśī.