Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

शार्ङ्गिणं ये परित्यज्य देवमन्यमुपासते । ते सद्भिश्च बहिष्कार्या वेदहीना यथा द्विजाः

Transliteration

śārṅgiṇaṃ ye parityajya devamanyamupāsate | te sadbhiśca bahiṣkāryā vedahīnā yathā dvijāḥ

Translation

ശാർങ്ഗിണനായ വിഷ്ണുവിനെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് മറ്റൊരു ദേവനെ ആരാധിക്കുന്നവർ സദ്ജനങ്ങൾക്കാൽ ബഹിഷ്കരിക്കപ്പെടേണ്ടവർ; വേദഹീന ദ്വിജന്മാരെപ്പോലെ.

Word by Word

• śārṅgiṇam: Śārṅgin (Viṣṇu, bearer of Śārṅga bow)
• śārṅgiṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śārṅgin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• parityajya: having abandoned
• parityajya: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √tyaj (त्यज्) + pari- (उपसर्ग) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय; अव्ययीभाव-रूप)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having abandoned’

• devam: a god
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• anyam: another
• anyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (devam इति)

• upāsate: worship
• upāsate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√ās (आस्) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• sadbhiḥ: by the good (people)
• sadbhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• bahiṣkāryāḥ: to be expelled/excluded
• bahiṣkāryāḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahiṣkārya (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-विशेषण, √kṛ (कृ) + बाहिष्/बहिः + ण्यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective): ‘to be excluded’

• veda-hīnāḥ: devoid of the Veda
• veda-hīnāḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-तत्पुरुष (वेदेन हीनाः)

• yathā: as/like
• yathā: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमा/तुलना-बोधक (comparative particle)

• dvijāḥ: twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijāḥ: Upameya (Compared entity/उपमेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Vyāsa (deduced from immediate narrative context in the same adhyāya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Naimiṣāraṇya (contextual) / Kāśī (textual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral-judgment scene: sages in assembly gesture toward a figure turning away from Viṣṇu’s icon; a symbolic ‘Veda’ manuscript and sacred thread indicate the analogy of a dvija without Veda; the atmosphere is stern, emphasizing dharma-boundary.

Characters & Entities

• Śārṅgin (Viṣṇu)
• Veda
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It asserts exclusive allegiance to Śārṅgin (Viṣṇu) and frames abandonment of him as a serious deviation from righteous, Veda-aligned conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the verse is part of the Kāśī-khaṇḍa discourse rather than a tirtha description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual; it prescribes social-religious boundary-making by the righteous (sadbhiḥ) regarding worship practice.