Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

एतां संवृणु सद्वृत्तां पितृभक्तियुता भव । श्वशुरोपि हि ते मान्यः सर्वत्र गुणशीलतः

Transliteration

etāṃ saṃvṛṇu sadvṛttāṃ pitṛbhaktiyutā bhava | śvaśuropi hi te mānyaḥ sarvatra guṇaśīlataḥ

Translation

ഈ സദ്വൃത്തയായ ഭാര്യയെ സ്വീകരിച്ച് സ്നേഹത്തോടെ പരിപാലിക്ക; പിതൃഭക്തിയോടെ യുക്തനാകുക. നിന്റെ ശ്വശുരനും ഗുണശീലങ്ങളാൽ എല്ലായിടത്തും മാന്യനാണ്.

Word by Word

• एताम्: this (woman)
• एताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• संवृणु: choose/accept
• संवृणु: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृ (धातु) उपसर्ग-सम्
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• सद्वृत्ताम्: of good conduct
• सद्वृत्ताम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘एताम्’)

• पितृभक्तियुता: endowed with devotion to (your) father
• पितृभक्तियुता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying the addressed ‘त्वम्’ understood)

• भव: be
• भव: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• श्वशुरः: father-in-law
• श्वशुरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वशुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (particle: also/even)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थक-निपात (particle: indeed/for)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (6th Genitive or 4th Dative), एकवचन; अत्र षष्ठी (your)

• मान्यः: worthy of respect
• मान्यः: Pradhāna (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मान्य (प्रातिपदिक; √मन् (धातु) से)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicate adjective)

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देश/व्याप्त्यर्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: everywhere)

• गुणशीलतः: because of (his) virtues and character
• गुणशीलतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + शील (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिलन्त (ablatival adverb), हेत्वर्थे; द्वन्द्व-समास (गुण + शील)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) narrating to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: young householder

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A respectful household scene: the young man bows to his father and honors his father-in-law; the wife stands modestly; offerings of water/flowers; a small domestic shrine indicates dharmic life in Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• father
• father-in-law
• wife

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma in household life includes honoring one’s spouse and revering elders—father and father-in-law—because virtue deserves respect.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred frame of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa; this verse focuses on dharma of relationships rather than a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it prescribes social and familial dharma—pitṛ-bhakti and honoring elders.