Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

एषामन्यतमः कार्यो गृहस्थेन विपश्चिता । पूर्वपूर्वः सुतः श्रेयान्हीनःस्यादुत्तरोत्तरः

Transliteration

eṣāmanyatamaḥ kāryo gṛhasthena vipaścitā | pūrvapūrvaḥ sutaḥ śreyānhīnaḥsyāduttarottaraḥ

Translation

ഈ പുത്രവിഭാഗങ്ങളിൽ ജ്ഞാനിയായ ഗൃഹസ്ഥൻ ഏതെങ്കിലും ഒരാളെ പുത്രനായി സ്ഥാപിക്കണം. മുൻപ് പറഞ്ഞ പുത്രൻ ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ; പിന്നീടുള്ളവർ ക്രമക്രമമായി ഹീനരാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• एषाम्: of these
• एषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Plural), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• अन्यतमः: one of the others (any one)
• अन्यतमः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्यतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjectival)

• कार्यः: to be done / should be performed
• कार्यः: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातु से निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative adjective)

• गृहस्थेन: by the householder
• गृहस्थेन: Karana (Instrument/Agentive instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• विपश्चिता: wise, discerning
• विपश्चिता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपश्चित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘गृहस्थेन’)

• पूर्वपूर्वः: the earlier and earlier (each earlier one)
• पूर्वपूर्वः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व + पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (पूर्वः एव पूर्वः)

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• श्रेयान्: better, superior
• श्रेयान्: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक; तुलनात्मक/Comparative)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण (comparative adjective)

• हीनः: inferior, lesser
• हीनः: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• स्यात्: would be / should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• उत्तरउत्तरः: each later one (successively later)
• उत्तरउत्तरः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (उत्तरः एव उत्तरः)

Speaker

Skanda (narration to Agastya, per Kāśīkhaṇḍa convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned householder seated with palm-leaf manuscripts, consulting elders/ācāryas about dharmic son-establishment; background hints of Kāśī ghāṭas and a small household shrine.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Household dharma is to be carried responsibly; traditions rank options for lineage continuity and encourage the most dharmically sound choice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the verse is normative dharma guidance within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it advises selecting an appropriate form of sonship for sustaining obligations such as ancestral offerings.