Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

यावत्स्वस्थोस्ति देहोयं यावन्नेंद्रियविक्लवः । तावद्व्रतानि कुर्वीत यतो देहफलं व्रतम्

Transliteration

yāvatsvasthosti dehoyaṃ yāvanneṃdriyaviklavaḥ | tāvadvratāni kurvīta yato dehaphalaṃ vratam

Translation

ഈ ദേഹം ആരോഗ്യവാനായിരിക്കയും ഇന്ദ്രിയങ്ങൾ വികലമാകാതിരിക്കയും ചെയ്യുന്നിടത്തോളം വ്രതങ്ങൾ ആചരിക്കണം; കാരണം ദേഹഫലം വ്രതാനുഷ്ഠാനത്തിലൂടെയാണ് ലഭിക്കുന്നത്।

Word by Word

• yāvat: as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (correlative: ‘as long as’)

• svasthaḥ: healthy
• svasthaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svastha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषण (implicit subject: dehaḥ/saḥ)

• asti: is
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• dehaḥ: body
• dehaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• ayam: this
• ayam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (qualifies dehaḥ)

• yāvat: as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (correlative: ‘as long as’)

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

• indriyaviklavaḥ: weakened in the senses
• indriyaviklavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: indriya (प्रातिपदिक) + viklava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुष (इन्द्रियैः विक्लवः/इन्द्रिय-विक्लवः); विशेषण (implicit subject)

• tāvat: so long/then
• tāvat: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (correlative: ‘so long/then’)

• vratāni: vows/observances
• vratāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), बहुवचनम्

• kurvīta: should perform
• kurvīta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• yataḥ: because
• yataḥ: Sambandha (Reason/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ अव्यय (causal indeclinable: ‘because/for’)

• dehaphalam: having the body as its fruit/result
• dehaphalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुष (देहस्य फलम्); विशेषण (vratam)

• vratam: a vow/observance
• vratam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Skanda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An elder teacher gestures toward a healthy pilgrim body and the passing of time; in the background, pilgrims undertake simple vows—bathing, lamp-offering, and restrained living—before age and illness arrive.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is time-bound; therefore, discipline and vows should be practiced while health and capacity remain.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as general dharma-instruction within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vrata (religious vows/observances) undertaken during one’s able-bodied life.