Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

अत्र ब्रह्मपुरीं कृत्वा यो विप्रेभ्यः प्रयच्छति । वर्षाशनेन संयुक्तां तस्य पुण्यफलं शृणु

Transliteration

atra brahmapurīṃ kṛtvā yo viprebhyaḥ prayacchati | varṣāśanena saṃyuktāṃ tasya puṇyaphalaṃ śṛṇu

Translation

ഇവിടെ ആരെങ്കിലും ‘ബ്രഹ്മപുരി’ ഒരുക്കി ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കു ദാനം ചെയ്ത്, മഴക്കാല ഭക്ഷണത്തോടുകൂടി അർപ്പിച്ചാൽ—അവന്റെ പുണ്യഫലം കേൾക്കുക.

Word by Word

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• brahmapurīm: Brahmapurī (city of Brahmā)
• brahmapurīm: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): 'ब्रह्मणः पुरी'

• kṛtvā: having made/established
• kṛtvā: Kriya-visheshana (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having made/done

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• viprebhyaḥ: to the brāhmaṇas
• viprebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी (4th/5th case), बहुवचन; अत्र दान-प्रसङ्गे चतुर्थी (dative)

• prayacchati: gives, bestows
• prayacchati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + yam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; धातु: यम् (to give) उपसर्ग: प्र

• varṣāśanena: with rain-season food (provisions)
• varṣāśanena: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + aśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: 'वर्षायाः अशनम्' (rain-season food)

• saṃyuktām: combined/associated (with)
• saṃyuktām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + yuj (धातु) → saṃyukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण—ब्रह्मपुरीम् (or implied दान-वस्तु)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• puṇya-phalam: the fruit of merit
• puṇya-phalam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: 'पुण्यस्य फलम्'

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (contextual; instructional passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmapurī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāśī courtyard near a ghat: a donor offers covered food vessels labeled ‘Brahmapurī’ to seated brāhmaṇas during monsoon; rain clouds and dripping eaves frame the act of giving.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Brāhmaṇa (vipra)
• Dāna
• Brahmapurī (offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity in a sacred kṣetra, especially feeding brāhmaṇas, is upheld as a potent purifier and merit-multiplier.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is implied by “atra” within Kāśīkhaṇḍa, framing the dāna as kṣetra-dāna (place-enhanced charity).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prepare and donate Brahmapurī (a food offering) to brāhmaṇas, along with seasonal meal-provision (varṣā-śana).