Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

अपि वेदं विदित्वा यस्त्यक्त्वा वै जातवेदसम् । अन्यत्र बध्नाति रतिं ब्राह्मणो न स वेदवित्

Transliteration

api vedaṃ viditvā yastyaktvā vai jātavedasam | anyatra badhnāti ratiṃ brāhmaṇo na sa vedavit

Translation

Walaupun seorang brāhmaṇa telah mengetahui Veda, jika dia meninggalkan Jātavedas (Agni) dan mengikat kesenangannya pada yang lain, maka dia bukanlah benar-benar vedavit.

Word by Word

• अपि: even if
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; concessive ‘even if’)

• वेदम्: the Veda
• वेदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• विदित्वा: having known
• विदित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विद् (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having known’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्यज् (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): ‘having abandoned’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• जातवेदसम्: Jātavedas (Agni)
• जातवेदसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जात + वेदस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (epithet of Agni)

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place: elsewhere)

• बध्नाति: binds, attaches
• बध्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: बन्ध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• रतिम्: delight, attachment
• रतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध निपात (negation)

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

• वेदवित्: knower of the Veda
• वेदवित्: Visheshya-predication (Predicate noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + विद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘वेदं वेत्ति’ इति (knower of the Veda)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jātavedas (Agni) as living tīrtha for dvijas

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa with palm-leaf manuscripts turns away from a neglected, dying household fire; shadows of worldly temptations pull him aside; a stern luminous Agni looks on as witness.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Jātavedas)
• Brāhmaṇa
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic learning is incomplete without fidelity to Agni; abandoning the sacred center undermines true Veda-knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dharma teaching environment rather than naming a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implicitly prescribes maintaining devotion/service to Agni (Jātavedas) as integral to Vedic life.