Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

उपवासेपि नो दुष्येद्दंतधावनमंजनम् । गंधालंकारसद्वस्त्रपुष्पमालानुलेपनम्

Transliteration

upavāsepi no duṣyeddaṃtadhāvanamaṃjanam | gaṃdhālaṃkārasadvastrapuṣpamālānulepanam

Translation

ഉപവാസത്തിലുപോലും ദന്തധാവനവും അഞ്ജനം ഇടുന്നതും ദോഷമല്ല; അതുപോലെ സുഗന്ധം, അലങ്കാരം, ശുദ്ധവസ്ത്രം, പുഷ്പമാല, അനുലേപനം എന്നിവയും ദോഷരഹിതം.

Word by Word

• उपवासे: during fasting
• उपवासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambhavana (Concessive/सम्भावना)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कारार्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

• नः: for us
• नः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive: for us/our)

• दुष्येत्: should be improper/spoiled
• दुष्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दुष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; नञर्थे निषेध (with implied ‘न’ sense: should not be spoiled)

• दन्तधावनम्: tooth-cleaning
• दन्तधावनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्तधावन (प्रातिपदिक; दन्त + धावन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विषय/कर्ता-स्थाने (as topic/subject)

• अञ्जनम्: collyrium/ointment (application)
• अञ्जनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अञ्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषय (co-listed item)

• गन्धालंकारसद्वस्त्रपुष्पमालानुलेपनम्: perfume, ornaments, good clothes, flower-garlands, and unguent
• गन्धालंकारसद्वस्त्रपुष्पमालानुलेपनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध + अलंकार + सत्-वस्त्र + पुष्पमाला + अनुलेपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective copulative): ‘गन्धः, अलंकारः, सद्वस्त्रम्, पुष्पमाला, अनुलेपनम्’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fasting pilgrim, serene and composed, performs tooth-cleaning and applies simple collyrium, then dons clean garments and a flower garland before proceeding to worship.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fasting is not opposed to cleanliness and dignified conduct; purity supports the spirit of vrata.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dharma teaching; no single tīrtha is named here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During upavāsa, hygiene and modest adornment (clean clothes, fragrance, garlands, unguents) are permitted and not दोष (fault).