Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

एकामप्याहुतिं प्राज्ञो दत्त्वोपमणिकर्णिकम् । यावज्जीवाग्निहोत्रस्य लभेदविकलं फलम्

Transliteration

ekāmapyāhutiṃ prājño dattvopamaṇikarṇikam | yāvajjīvāgnihotrasya labhedavikalaṃ phalam

Translation

अतुल्य मणिकर्णिकेत प्राज्ञाने एक आहुती जरी दिली तरी, आयुष्यभर अग्निहोत्र केल्याचे अविकल फळ मिळते।

Word by Word

• एकाम्: one
• एकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• आहुतिम्: oblation
• आहुतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राज्ञः: the wise person
• प्राज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund)

• उप: near, towards (as prefix)
• उप: Upasarga (Preverb/उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उप (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग (preverb)

• मणिकर्णिकम्: at Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिकम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणि (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः/संज्ञा

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• जीव: life
• जीव: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद; ‘life’

• अग्निहोत्रस्य: of the agnihotra rite
• अग्निहोत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + होत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘अग्नेः होत्रम्’

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• अविकलम्: undiminished, complete
• अविकलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अविकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni audience; addressed as ‘prājña’ (wise person) as injunction

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small sacred fire (homa-kuṇḍa) near the ghāṭa; a wise householder offers one spoon of ghee as āhuti; flames rise; priests chant; Gaṅgā and Kāśī steps frame the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Agnihotra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of Kāśī’s Maṇikarṇikā intensifies ritual acts, granting vast merit for even a small, sincere offering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā Tīrtha in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering a single āhuti (oblation), compared in result to lifelong Agnihotra observance.