Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

कथमेतानि कर्माणि करिष्येऽज्ञोऽसहायवान् । अंगीकृतानि तद्भीत्या नमस्ते भवितव्यते

Transliteration

kathametāni karmāṇi kariṣye'jño'sahāyavān | aṃgīkṛtāni tadbhītyā namaste bhavitavyate

Translation

Comment accomplirai-je ces actes, moi, ignorant et sans soutien ? Puisque je les ai acceptés, par crainte de faillir à mon devoir, je me prosterne devant Toi ; car ainsi doit-il en être.

Word by Word

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (कर्माणि)

• कर्माणि: tasks; actions
• कर्माणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• करिष्ये: shall I do? / I will do
• करिष्ये: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अज्ञः: ignorant
• अज्ञः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अहम्—अध्याहृत)

• असहायवान्: without a helper
• असहायवान्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + सहायवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; नञ्-समासपूर्वक विशेषणम् (अहम्—अध्याहृत)

• अङ्गीकृतानि: accepted; undertaken
• अङ्गीकृतानि: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अङ्गी + √कृ (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (कर्माणि)

• तद्: of that
• तद्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (भीत्या)

• भीत्या: out of fear
• भीत्या: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: नमः-शब्दः नमस्कारार्थे अव्ययवत्; प्रायः चतुर्थी-सम्बन्धे (to)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक

• भवितव्यते: it must be; it is destined/necessary
• भवितव्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे प्रयोगः (impersonal/passive sense) ‘it must be’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implicitly the guru/divine order; also the narrative audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The disciple bows low (daṇḍavat/añjali), fear visible yet transformed into resolve; the forest around him appears calmer, suggesting inner surrender bringing clarity.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Guru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility and accountability sustain dharma: even when unskilled, one must not abandon accepted responsibility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is within Kāśī’s Kāśīkhaṇḍa, but this verse centers on personal resolve rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it conveys an attitude of submission and determination in carrying out duty.