Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

विनतोवाच । यज्ञसूत्रं गले यस्य सोत्तरीयं सुनिर्मलम् । नित्यधौतानि वासांसि भालं तिलक लांछितम्

Transliteration

vinatovāca | yajñasūtraṃ gale yasya sottarīyaṃ sunirmalam | nityadhautāni vāsāṃsi bhālaṃ tilaka lāṃchitam

Translation

വിനത പറഞ്ഞു—ആരുടെ കഴുത്തിൽ യജ്ഞോപവീതം ഉണ്ടോ, ആരുടെ ഉത്തരീയം അത്യന്തം നിർമലമോ, ആരുടെ വസ്ത്രങ്ങൾ നിത്യധൗതമായവയോ, ആരുടെ ലലാട്ടം തിലകചിഹ്നിതമോ—

Word by Word

• विनता: Vinatā
• विनता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यज्ञसूत्रम्: sacred thread
• यज्ञसूत्रम्: Karma/Pratipadyam (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + सूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; ‘sacred thread’

• गले: on the neck
• गले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन; अधिकरण

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचन; सम्बन्धक

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; निर्देश

• उत्तरीयम्: upper garment
• उत्तरीयम्: Karma/Pratipadyam (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तरीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; (सन्धि: सोत्तरीयम् = सः + उत्तरीयम्)

• सुनिर्मलम्: very clean, pure
• सुनिर्मलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with उत्तरीयम्)

• नित्यधौतानि: always washed
• नित्यधौतानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य + धौत (धाव्/धौ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-बहुवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with वासांसि)

• वासांसि: clothes, garments
• वासांसि: Karma/Pratipadyam (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासस्/वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-बहुवचन

• भालम्: forehead
• भालम्: Karma/Pratipadyam (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन

• तिलक: with a tilaka mark
• तिलक: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन (साधन/हेतु) वा षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध (समासार्थे)

• लाञ्छितम्: marked, adorned
• लाञ्छितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लाञ्छ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with भालम्)

Speaker

Vinatā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vinatā enumerates signs: a dvija with yajñopavīta visible at the neck, spotless upper cloth, clean garments, and a tilaka on the forehead; Garuḍa listens attentively.

Characters & Entities

• Vinatā
• Garuḍa
• Yajñopavīta (sacred thread)
• Tilaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer disciplines (cleanliness, sacred insignia) are presented as practical identifiers for protecting the dharmic person.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is mentioned; the verse functions as dharma-guidance within Kāśī Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied daily purity observances: wearing the yajñopavīta, maintaining clean garments, and applying tilaka.