Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

अभिलष्यंति ये नित्यं धनं चात्र प्रतिग्रहैः । परस्वं कपटैर्वापि काशी सेव्या न तैर्नरैः

Transliteration

abhilaṣyaṃti ye nityaṃ dhanaṃ cātra pratigrahaiḥ | parasvaṃ kapaṭairvāpi kāśī sevyā na tairnaraiḥ

Translation

ഇവിടെ നിത്യവും പ്രതിഗ്രഹങ്ങളാൽ ധനം മോഹിക്കുന്നവരും, കപടത്താൽ പരധനം അപഹരിക്കാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവരും—അത്തരം മനുഷ്യർ കാശിയെ സേവിക്കരുത്।

Word by Word

• abhilaṣyanti: they desire/long for
• abhilaṣyanti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhilaṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• dhanam: wealth
• dhanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• atra: here (in this place)
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• pratigrahaiḥ: by acceptances (of gifts)
• pratigrahaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• parasvam: another’s property
• parasvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para-sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (परस्य स्वम्)

• kapaṭaiḥ: by deceit/trickery
• kapaṭaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• kāśī: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• kāśī: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• sevyā: to be served/visited
• sevyā: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sevya (कृदन्त; √sev धातु)
• Form: भाव्य (gerundive/तव्यत्-अर्थ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण (predicate adjective)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• naraiḥ: by men/people
• naraiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Kāśī’s ghāṭa turns away from a tempting pile of coins and rejected gifts, choosing instead to offer water to a Śiva-liṅga; shadowy figures of deceit fade behind him as the city’s sacred light remains steady.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Dāna/Pratigraha (gift-taking)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed-driven religiosity and deceitful acquisition violate the spirit of Kāśī and obstruct liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), upheld as a place requiring integrity in livelihood and conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it warns against improper pratigraha (gift-taking) and fraudulent gain while in Kāśī.