Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

आसीत्काश्यां शुभाचारः सदातिथिजनप्रियः । भार्या शुभव्रता तस्य बभूवातिमनोहरा

Transliteration

āsītkāśyāṃ śubhācāraḥ sadātithijanapriyaḥ | bhāryā śubhavratā tasya babhūvātimanoharā

Translation

അവൻ കാശിയിൽ ശുഭാചാരനായി, എപ്പോഴും അതിഥികൾക്കും ജനങ്ങൾക്കും പ്രിയങ്കരനായിരുന്നു. അവന്റെ ഭാര്യ ശുഭവ്രതയായ, അത്യന്തം മനോഹരിയായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन — Past (Imperfect), 3rd person, Singular

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Feminine, Locative, Singular

• शुभ-आचारः: one of good conduct
• शुभ-आचारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक) + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• अतिथि-जन-प्रियः: dear to guests and people
• अतिथि-जन-प्रियः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक) + जन (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; विशेषण (शुभाचारः)

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• शुभ-व्रता: of good vows
• शुभ-व्रता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular; विशेषण (भार्या)

• तस्य: of him, his
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — Genitive, Singular

• बभूव: became, was
• बभूव: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular

• अति-मनः-हरा: very charming, captivating
• अति-मनः-हरा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक) + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular; विशेषण (भार्या)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘Suvrata’ interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene Kāśī household: Priyavrata welcomes guests with water and seat; his wife, radiant and vow-observant, prepares offerings—lamp, food, and respectful service—against a backdrop of Kāśī’s temple skyline.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Priyavrata (implied)
• Priyavrata's wife (unnamed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness of place is paired with holiness of conduct—hospitality, vows, and righteous household life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī broadly; the narrative context remains the Uttarārka-kuṇḍa māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it highlights atithi-sevā (service to guests) and vrata-oriented life as dharmic ideals.