Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

आश्रमांश्चतुरस्त्वेवं क्रमादासेव्य पंडितः । निर्द्वंद्वस्त्यक्तसंगश्च ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते

Transliteration

āśramāṃścaturastvevaṃ kramādāsevya paṃḍitaḥ | nirdvaṃdvastyaktasaṃgaśca brahmabhūyāya kalpate

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ ക്രമമായി നാലാശ്രമങ്ങളും യഥാവിധി അനുഷ്ഠിച്ച്, ദ്വന്ദ്വരഹിതനായി സംഗത്യാഗം ചെയ്ത പണ്ഡിതൻ ബ്രഹ്മസാക്ഷാത്കാരത്തിന് യോഗ്യനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• आश्रमान्: the āśramas (stages of life)
• आश्रमान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• चतुरः: four
• चतुरः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (आश्रमान्)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय (but/indeed)

• एवम्: thus/in this manner
• एवम्: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb of manner)

• क्रमात्: in sequence/gradually
• क्रमात्: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे—‘क्रमात्’ (in order/gradually)

• आसेव्य: having practiced/undertaken
• आसेव्य: Purvakala-Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+सेव् (धातु) → आसेव्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having practiced/served’

• पण्डितः: the wise person
• पण्डितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्डित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• निर्द्वन्द्वः: free from dualities
• निर्द्वन्द्वः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्द्वन्द्व (प्रातिपदिक; निर्+द्वन्द्व)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पण्डितः)

• त्यक्तसङ्गः: having abandoned attachment
• त्यक्तसङ्गः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्तसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; त्यक्त+सङ्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘सङ्गं त्यक्तः’ (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भाव) ; कृदन्त (क्त)

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

• ब्रह्मभूयाय: for Brahmanhood (state of Brahman)
• ब्रह्मभूयाय: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मभूय (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मन्+भूय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदानार्थ (for attaining Brahman-state)

• कल्पते: is fit/attains/is destined
• कल्पते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic progression: student, householder, forest-dweller, and renunciant shown in four panels leading to a meditative sage seated facing the Ganga, serene and unattached.

Characters & Entities

• Four Āśramas
• Brahman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Orderly dharmic living culminating in detachment and equanimity prepares one for Brahman-realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the spiritual context where the culmination of āśrama-dharma into liberation is celebrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single ritual; it recommends the disciplined progression through the four āśramas with growing detachment.