Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

औरसः क्षेत्रजः क्रीतो दत्तः प्राप्तः सुतासुतः । आपत्सुरक्षितश्चान्यः पुत्राः सप्तात्र कीर्तिताः

Transliteration

aurasaḥ kṣetrajaḥ krīto dattaḥ prāptaḥ sutāsutaḥ | āpatsurakṣitaścānyaḥ putrāḥ saptātra kīrtitāḥ

Translation

ഇവിടെ പുത്രന്മാർ ഏഴുവിധമെന്ന് പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു—ഔരസൻ (സ്വപത്നിയിൽ ജനിച്ചവൻ), ക്ഷേത്രജൻ, ക്രീതൻ (വാങ്ങിയവൻ), ദത്തൻ (ദത്തെടുത്തവൻ), പ്രാപ്തൻ, സുതാസുതൻ (മകളുടെ മകൻ), കൂടാതെ മറ്റൊന്ന്—ആപത്തിൽ സംരക്ഷിക്കപ്പെട്ടവൻ.

Word by Word

• औरसः: legitimate (born of the body) son
• औरसः: Karta (Enumerated item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: औरस (प्रातिपदिक; तद्धित)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); पुत्रभेदः (a type of son)

• क्षेत्रजः: son born of the wife through another (kṣetraja)
• क्षेत्रजः: Karta (Enumerated item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्रज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); पुत्रभेदः

• क्रीतः: purchased son
• क्रीतः: Karta (Enumerated item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्री (धातु) → क्रीत (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: क्तान्त रूपं संज्ञारूपेण; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); पुत्रभेदः

• दत्तः: given/adopted son
• दत्तः: Karta (Enumerated item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: क्तान्त रूपं संज्ञारूपेण; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; पुत्रभेदः

• प्राप्तः: obtained son
• प्राप्तः: Karta (Enumerated item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: क्तान्त रूपं संज्ञारूपेण; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; पुत्रभेदः

• सुत-असुतः: son-and-not-son (a mixed/irregular category)
• सुत-असुतः: Karta (Enumerated item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक) + असुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमास (सुतश्च असुतश्च); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (collective singular); पुत्रभेदः

• आपत्-सुरक्षितः: son protected in calamity (āpatsurakṣita)
• आपत्-सुरक्षितः: Karta (Enumerated item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आपत् (प्रातिपदिक) + सुरक्षित (कृदन्त; सम्-रक्ष् धातु, क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (आपदि सुरक्षितः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; पुत्रभेदः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• अन्यः: another (type)
• अन्यः: Karta (Enumerated item/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.); पुत्रभेदः (the other/another type)

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (masc. nom. pl.)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनार्थे विशेषणम् (numeral adjective qualifying पुत्राः)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here/in this context)

• कीर्तिताः: are declared/mentioned
• कीर्तिताः: Kriya (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्त् (धातु) → कीर्तित (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (masc. nom. pl.); कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय ("are mentioned")

Speaker

Skanda (narration to Agastya, per Kāśīkhaṇḍa convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage enumerates seven types of sons to attentive listeners; behind him, symbolic vignettes show each type (birth, kṣetraja arrangement, adoption/giving, rescue in calamity) arranged like a didactic frieze.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is sustained through recognized forms of filial continuity; the tradition lists multiple socially sanctioned ways to uphold lineage and rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is cited; the verse is dharma-categorical teaching within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it enumerates dharma categories of sons relevant to household duty and ancestral rites.