Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

तस्मादल्पतपस्त्वाद्वै त्वं चाहं च महामते । प्राप्यापि राजसांनिध्यं राजलक्ष्म्या न भाजनम्

Transliteration

tasmādalpatapastvādvai tvaṃ cāhaṃ ca mahāmate | prāpyāpi rājasāṃnidhyaṃ rājalakṣmyā na bhājanam

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഹേ മഹാമതേ, അല്പതപസ്സുള്ളതിനാൽ നീയും ഞാനും—രാജസന്നിധ്യം ലഭിച്ചിട്ടും—രാജലക്ഷ്മിയുടെ യഥാർത്ഥ വൈഭവത്തിന് പാത്രങ്ങളല്ല.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात्-प्रयोगः), हेत्वर्थे/तस्मात् = ‘therefore/from that’

• अल्पतपस्त्वात्: because of little austerity
• अल्पतपस्त्वात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अल्प-तपस् (प्रातिपदिक; अल्प + तपस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; ‘अल्पं तपः’ इति कर्मधारय-समासः; -त्वात् = कारणे (ablative of cause)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/त्रिलिङ्ग-प्रयोग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक; महा + मति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; ‘महान् मतिः यस्य’ इति (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रचलित) परन्तु रूपतः सम्बोधन-एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main idea/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; ‘having attained’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• राजसांनिध्यम्: royal proximity/presence of the king
• राजसांनिध्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-सांनिध्य (प्रातिपदिक; राजन् + सांनिध्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘राज्ञः सांनिध्यम्’)

• राजलक्ष्म्या: by royal fortune/prosperity
• राजलक्ष्म्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक; राजन् + लक्ष्मी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘राज्ञः लक्ष्मीः’)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• भाजनम्: a recipient/vessel (fit person)
• भाजनम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता/प्रत्ययार्थे), एकवचन; विधेय-नाम (predicate nominative)

Speaker

Sunīti (addressing Dhruva)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-audience/ṛṣis in frame narrative (implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A modest queen (Sunīti) speaks privately to young Dhruva in a palace interior, emphasizing their limited tapas and unfitness for royal fortune; subdued light, restrained gestures.

Characters & Entities

• Sunīti
• Dhruva
• Uttānapāda (implied)
• royalty (rāja)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly rank alone does not confer true prosperity; inner merit gained through tapas is the real qualification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it occurs within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s broader sacred narrative context of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on tapas (austerity) as the spiritual cause of attainment.