Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

भरणं पोष्यवर्गस्य दृष्टादृष्टफलोदयम् । प्रत्यवायो ह्यभरणे भर्तव्यस्तत्प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

bharaṇaṃ poṣyavargasya dṛṣṭādṛṣṭaphalodayam | pratyavāyo hyabharaṇe bhartavyastatprayatnataḥ

Translation

പോഷിക്കേണ്ടവരെ ഭരണമെന്പോലെ പോഷിക്കുന്നത് ദൃഷ്ടവും അദൃഷ്ടവും ആയ ഫലങ്ങൾ നൽകുന്നു. എന്നാൽ ഭരണം ചെയ്യാതിരുന്നാൽ പ്രത്യവായം (പാപം) ഉണ്ടാകും; അതിനാൽ പരിശ്രമത്തോടെ അവരെ പോഷിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• भरणम्: supporting, maintenance
• भरणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृ (धातु) → भरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता/विषय), एकवचन

• पोष्यवर्गस्य: of the dependents-group
• पोष्यवर्गस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पोष्य + वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पोष्यस्य वर्गः)

• दृष्टादृष्टफलोदयम्: bringing rise of seen and unseen results
• दृष्टादृष्टफलोदयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्ट + अदृष्ट + फल + उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (दृष्ट-अदृष्टयोः फलानाम् उदयः यस्मात् तत्)

• प्रत्यवायः: sin, adverse consequence
• प्रत्यवायः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति + अव + इ (धातु) → प्रत्यवाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• अभरणे: in non-support (failure to maintain)
• अभरणे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ + भरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘अभाव’ अर्थे

• भर्तव्यः: must be supported
• भर्तव्यः: Kriya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ (धातु) → भर्तव्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्तः (तव्यत्—कर्तव्य/भर्तव्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (ought to be maintained)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘प्रयत्नम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort, diligently
• प्रयत्नतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb): ‘प्रयत्नात्/प्रयत्नेन’ अर्थे

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder in Kāśī distributing food and coins: elders seated, children nearby, a refugee-like figure seeking shelter, and a guest at the threshold. The sacred fire burns in the corner, symbolizing ongoing duty.

Characters & Entities

• Poṣya-varga (dependents)
• Pratyavāya (sin of omission)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Householder dharma is measured by care for dependents; it yields merit in this life and beyond, while neglect produces moral fault.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered dharma teaching, where righteous living is presented as Kāśī’s living sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a single ritual; it prescribes an obligatory duty (bharaṇa) whose omission is pratyavāya.