Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

इत्यादि सत्प्रवृत्तिश्च कर्तव्या क्षेत्रवासिना । प्रत्यहं चेति शिष्येभ्यः सधर्ममुपदेक्ष्यति

Transliteration

ityādi satpravṛttiśca kartavyā kṣetravāsinā | pratyahaṃ ceti śiṣyebhyaḥ sadharmamupadekṣyati

Translation

Une telle conduite noble, et d’autres semblables, doit être pratiquée par celui qui demeure dans le champ sacré; et, jour après jour, il doit enseigner à ses disciples cette manière de vivre selon le dharma.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• आदि: and so on
• आदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘आदि’ = etc., beginning with

• सत्प्रवृत्तिः: good conduct
• सत्प्रवृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्-प्रवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक; सत् < √अस् (धातु) शतृ; प्रवृत्ति < प्र-√वृत् (धातु) + क्तिन्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः: सत् (शुभ) + प्रवृत्तिः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• कर्तव्या: should be done
• कर्तव्या: Vidhi (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्य-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (तव्यत्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done)

• क्षेत्रवासिना: by the resident of the sacred place
• क्षेत्रवासिना: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र-वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक; क्षेत्र; वासिन् < √वस् (धातु) + णिनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देशे (by the resident)

• प्रत्यहम्: every day
• प्रत्यहम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति-अहम् (अव्ययीभाव-समास; अहन्/अहः)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• शिष्येभ्यः: to the disciples
• शिष्येभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), बहुवचन; सम्प्रदान (to/for disciples)

• सधर्मम्: true dharma / proper duty
• सधर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स-धर्म (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘स’ = सह/सम्यक् (with/true) उपपद-समासभाव

• उपदेक्ष्यति: will instruct
• उपदेक्ष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-√दिश् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative norm)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small courtyard near a Kāśī ghat: a teacher seated on a mat, disciples around, palm-leaf manuscript open; behind them a shrine lamp and the soundscape of the city—teaching as daily worship.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Kṣetravāsin (resident of the holy field)
• Śiṣya (disciples)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, dharma is not only practiced privately but transmitted: daily teaching sustains a living tradition of virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as the kṣetra where righteous conduct and dharma-teaching are treated as sacred duties.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A daily discipline is implied: consistent instruction (upadeśa) of dharma to disciples.