Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

विनैवार्थार्जनोपायं धर्मादर्थो भवेद्ध्रुवम् । अतोऽर्थचिंतामुत्सृज्य धर्ममेकं समाश्रयेत्

Transliteration

vinaivārthārjanopāyaṃ dharmādartho bhaveddhruvam | ato'rthaciṃtāmutsṛjya dharmamekaṃ samāśrayet

Translation

സമ്പാദ്യത്തിനുള്ള സാധാരണ മാർഗങ്ങൾ ഇല്ലെങ്കിലും ധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിന്ന് അർത്ഥം ഉറപ്പായി ലഭിക്കുന്നു. അതിനാൽ ലാഭചിന്ത ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് ധർമ്മം മാത്രമേ ആശ്രയിക്കേണ്ടത്।

Word by Word

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वियोगार्थक (without)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• अर्थार्जनोपायम्: means of acquiring wealth
• अर्थार्जनोपायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ-अर्जन-उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः: अर्थार्जन (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘अर्थस्य अर्जनम्’) + उपाय (तत्पुरुषः ‘अर्जनस्य उपायः’)

• धर्मात्: from dharma
• धर्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• अर्थः: wealth
• अर्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would arise
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (indeclinable adverbial accusative)

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Discourse connective/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (therefore)

• अर्थचिन्ताम्: anxiety about wealth
• अर्थचिन्ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ-चिन्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अर्थस्य चिन्ता)

• उत्सृज्य: having abandoned
• उत्सृज्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत् + √सृज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• धर्मम्: dharma
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• एकम्: alone, single
• एकम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (धर्मम्)

• समाश्रयेत्: should resort to
• समाश्रयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + √श्रि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-sage on a Kāśī ghat gestures gently as a worried householder loosens his grip on a money pouch; behind them, pilgrims proceed calmly toward a Śiva shrine—symbolizing artha-anxiety dissolving into dharma-refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Kāśī
• Avimukta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prioritize Dharma; worldly prosperity follows naturally, so abandon restless worry about wealth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly Kāśī/Avimukta through the chapter’s Kāśī-māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual; it is an ethical prescription: take refuge in Dharma and relinquish artha-anxiety.