Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

तथेषद्व्यययुक्तानि कार्याण्येतानि वै नव । आसनं पादशौचं च यथाशक्त्याशनं क्षितिः

Transliteration

tatheṣadvyayayuktāni kāryāṇyetāni vai nava | āsanaṃ pādaśaucaṃ ca yathāśaktyāśanaṃ kṣitiḥ

Translation

അതുപോലെ അല്പം ചെലവോടുകൂടിയ ഈ ഒമ്പത് കര്‍ത്തവ്യങ്ങള്‍—ആസനം നല്‍കല്‍, പാദപ്രക്ഷാളനം, ശേഷിയനുസരിച്ച് ആഹാരം നല്‍കല്‍, കൂടാതെ നിലത്ത്/ശയ്യയില്‍ വിശ്രമസ്ഥലം ഒരുക്കല്‍।

Word by Word

• तथा: likewise; thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connective/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb: ‘thus/likewise’)

• ईषत्: slightly; a little
• ईषत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ईषत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb: ‘slightly’)

• व्यय: expense
• व्यय: Upapada (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine nom/acc sg) (as first member in compound)

• युक्तानि: connected with; involving
• युक्तानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (neuter nominative plural adjective)

• कार्याणि: duties; things to be done
• कार्याणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (neuter nominative plural)

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (neuter nominative plural demonstrative)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात (particle of emphasis/assurance)

• नव: nine
• नव: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नव (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचनार्थे संख्या (numeral ‘nine’, agreeing with plural)

• आसनम्: seat; sitting (arrangement)
• आसनम्: Karta (Item in list/कर्ता-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• पादशौचम्: washing/cleaning of the feet
• पादशौचम्: Karta (Item in list/कर्ता-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद + शौच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

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

• यथाशक्त्या: according to one’s capacity
• यथाशक्त्या: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (functioning adverbially: ‘according to ability’)

• आशनम्: food; eating
• आशनम्: Karta (Item in list/कर्ता-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• क्षितिः: ground; earth (i.e., sitting on the ground)
• क्षितिः: Karta (Item in list/कर्ता-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine nominative singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder offers a woven seat and pours water to wash a traveler’s feet; a simple meal is served on a leaf plate; a clean mat is laid for rest in a modest Kāśī home.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hospitality is not only attitude but concrete service—offering comfort and food within one’s means is dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s dharma section; it does not specify a separate tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Atithi-sevā prescriptions: provide āsana (seat), pāda-śauca (foot washing), yathāśakti-āśana (feeding), and kṣiti (resting place).