Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

यत्र क्षपणका एव दृश्यंते मलधारिणः । प्रायो मधुव्रता एव यत्र चंचलवृत्तयः

Transliteration

yatra kṣapaṇakā eva dṛśyaṃte maladhāriṇaḥ | prāyo madhuvratā eva yatra caṃcalavṛttayaḥ

Translation

അവിടെ തപസ്സിന്റെ ലക്ഷണങ്ങൾ ധരിച്ച മലയുള്ളവരായ യഥാർത്ഥ ക്ഷപണകരേ കാണപ്പെടുന്നു; പെരുമാറ്റത്തിൽ ചഞ്ചലരായവർ അധികവും ‘മധുവ്രത’—ഭ്രമരത്തെപ്പോലെ അസ്ഥിരസ്വഭാവികൾ—ആകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• क्षपणकाः: Kṣapaṇakas (ascetics/sect)
• क्षपणकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षपणक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• एव: only, indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle of emphasis)

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen
• दृश्यन्ते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: 'are seen')

• मल-धारिणः: wearers of filth/impurity
• मल-धारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मल (प्रातिपदिक) + धारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्रायः: mostly, generally
• प्रायः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रायः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: generally/mostly)

• मधु-व्रताः: those with 'honey-vow' (madhuvrata; context-specific group)
• मधु-व्रताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• एव: only, indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle of emphasis)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• चञ्चल-वृत्तयः: restless ways/behaviours
• चञ्चल-वृत्तयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चञ्चल (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two contrasting groups on a Kāśī lane: steadfast kṣapaṇakas with austere marks and calm gaze; nearby, ‘madhuvrata’-like wanderers flit from shrine to shrine, distracted, like bees around flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣapaṇaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred ideal is steadiness and genuine austerity; fickleness is criticized as superficial wandering without inner discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), depicted as a place where authentic ascetic life is visible and valued.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the focus is on authentic tapas and stable conduct.