Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

चेष्टास्त्यज दरिद्राणां धूलिधूसरिणाममूः । अभ्यस्यविद्याः सकला भोगान्निर्विश्य चोत्तमान्

Transliteration

ceṣṭāstyaja daridrāṇāṃ dhūlidhūsariṇāmamūḥ | abhyasyavidyāḥ sakalā bhogānnirviśya cottamān

Translation

धुळीने माखलेल्या दरिद्रांच्या नीच चेष्टा सोडून दे. सर्व विद्यांचा अभ्यास कर; मग उत्तम भोगांचा उपभोग घे.

Word by Word

• ceṣṭāḥ: activities/ways
• ceṣṭāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ceṣṭā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• tyaja: abandon
• tyaja: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tyaj (त्यज्)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• daridrāṇām: of the poor
• daridrāṇām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daridra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• dhūli-dhūsariṇām: of those dust-covered
• dhūli-dhūsariṇām: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhūli (प्रातिपदिक) + dhūsarin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; समास: धूल्या धूसरिणः (तृतीया/तत्पुरुष)

• amūḥ: those
• amūḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: amū (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• abhyasya: having practiced/studied
• abhyasya: Purva-kala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√as (अभि+अस्/अस्यति)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘अभ्यस्य’ = having practiced/studied

• vidyāḥ: knowledges/skills
• vidyāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• sakalāḥ: all
• sakalāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• bhogān: enjoyments
• bhogān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• nirviśya: having attained/experienced
• nirviśya: Purva-kala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√viś (निर्+विश्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘निर्विश्य’ = having entered/attained/experienced

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• uttamān: excellent; best
• uttamān: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (narrating to Agastya, context of Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern father admonishes his son to abandon slovenly, dust-covered habits and to practice all branches of learning; symbols of scholarship and refined pleasures appear as temptations in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Harikeśa
• Harikeśa’s father

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse reflects a worldly counsel (artha–kāma) that later Purāṇic teaching typically transcends by directing one toward bhakti and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting remains the implicit sacred background.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it recommends education (vidyā-abhyāsa) and a lifestyle shift.