Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

सर्वत्र शुचिता तात सा परोपकृतिः सदा । और्जस्वला मनोवृत्तिः सदैवादीनवादिता

Transliteration

sarvatra śucitā tāta sā paropakṛtiḥ sadā | aurjasvalā manovṛttiḥ sadaivādīnavāditā

Translation

ഹേ താതാ! എല്ലായിടത്തും ശുചിത്വം, എപ്പോഴും പരോപകാരം, ഓജസ്സോടെ പ്രകാശിക്കുന്ന മനോവൃത്തി, കൂടാതെ നീചമായ വാക്കുകൾ ഒരിക്കലും പറയാതിരിക്കുക—ഇവയെ നിത്യസദ്ഗുണങ്ങളായി കരുതുന്നു।

Word by Word

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• शुचिता: purity, cleanliness
• शुचिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुचिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तात: dear one, son
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• सा: she/that (quality)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• परोपकृतिः: helping others, beneficence
• परोपकृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + उपकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘परस्य उपकृतिः’

• सदा: always
• सदा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• और्जस्वला: vigorous, energetic
• और्जस्वला: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊर्जस् (प्रातिपदिक) + वल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण ‘मनोवृत्तिः’ इत्यस्य

• मनोवृत्तिः: mental disposition
• मनोवृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सदैव: always indeed
• सदैव: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय) + एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-समुदाय (adverbial phrase)

• अदीनवादिता: not speaking basely; dignified speech
• अदीनवादिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदीन (प्रातिपदिक) + वादिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘अदीनं वदति’ इति भावः (not speaking meanly)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī and Gaṅgā-ghāṭas

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘tāta’ (unspecified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clean, radiant pilgrim in white cloth offers water and food to travelers at a Kāśī ghāṭa; his posture is energetic yet calm; speech is depicted as gentle through attentive listening and restrained gesture.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is stabilized by purity, service to others, inner strength, and refined speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred setting; the verse itself does not name a particular tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly—this is instruction in character (ācāra) rather than a formal vrata.