Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

सांबोपि यामि नोयामि क्षणमित्थमचिंतयत् । कथं रहःस्थ पितरं यामि स्त्रैणसखंप्रति

Transliteration

sāṃbopi yāmi noyāmi kṣaṇamitthamaciṃtayat | kathaṃ rahaḥstha pitaraṃ yāmi straiṇasakhaṃprati

Translation

സാംബനും ഒരു നിമിഷം ചിന്തിച്ചു—“ഞാൻ പോകണോ, പോകാതിരിക്കണോ? ഏകാന്തത്തിൽ രതിക്രീഡാസഖിയോടൊപ്പം ഉള്ള പിതാവിന്റെ അടുക്കൽ ഞാൻ എങ്ങനെ പോകും?”

Word by Word

• sāmbaḥ: Sāmba
• sāmbaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāmba (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• yāmi: I go
• yāmi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• yāmi: I go
• yāmi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kṣaṇam: for a moment
• kṣaṇam: Kāla-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (प्रायः), द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (accusative of duration)

• ittham: thus
• ittham: Kriya-vishesana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ittham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• aciṃtayat: thought/pondered
• aciṃtayat: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (चिन्त् धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• katham: how
• katham: Kriya-vishesana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• rahaḥstha: being in private/secretly placed
• rahaḥstha: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rahas (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (स्थ धातु-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: 'रहसि स्थितः'), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; 'पितरम्' विशेषण

• pitaram: father
• pitaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (पितृ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• yāmi: do I go
• yāmi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• straiṇa-sakham: to the woman-loving friend (Krishna)
• straiṇa-sakham: Karma (कर्म/गन्तव्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: straiṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + sakha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: 'स्त्रैणः सखा' (woman-addicted friend), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; 'कृष्णम्' (अध्याहृत) विशेषणार्थे

• prati: towards/to
• prati: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/preposition-like)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश अव्यय; गत्यर्थे 'towards/to'

Speaker

Narrator (reporting Sāmba’s inner thought)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sāmba pauses mid-step, eyes lowered, hand to chin in thought; behind him the doorway to inner chambers is veiled, hinting at Kṛṣṇa’s private company; the scene captures hesitation and modesty.

Characters & Entities

• Sāmba
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes propriety and modesty—knowing when and how to approach elders and private situations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not explicit; the verse is narrative and ethical in tone within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.