Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

पंडितोपि स मूर्खः स्याच्छक्तियुक्तोप्यशक्तिकः । यस्तु भागीरथीतीरं सुखसेव्यं न संश्रयेत्

Transliteration

paṃḍitopi sa mūrkhaḥ syācchaktiyuktopyaśaktikaḥ | yastu bhāgīrathītīraṃ sukhasevyaṃ na saṃśrayet

Translation

Walau seorang pandai, dia seakan menjadi bodoh; walau berkuasa, dia seakan tidak berdaya—jika dia tidak berlindung pada tebing Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā) yang mudah didekati untuk disembah.

Word by Word

• पण्डितः: a learned man
• पण्डितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्डित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

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

• मूर्खः: foolish
• मूर्खः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person, Singular)

• शक्ति-युक्तः: endowed with power
• शक्ति-युक्तः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘शक्त्या युक्तः’ (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक-अव्यय (particle: even)

• अ-शक्तिकः: powerless
• अ-शक्तिकः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (निषेध-उपसर्ग) + शक्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषार्थः (negated adjective) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (adversative/emphatic particle)

• भागीरथी-तीरम्: the bank of the Bhāgīrathī (Ganga)
• भागीरथी-तीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागीरथी (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘भागीरथ्याः तीरम्’ (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• सुख-सेव्यम्: pleasant to resort to
• सुख-सेव्यम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक) + सेव्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘सुखेन सेव्यम्’ (gerundive ‘to be resorted to pleasantly’)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• संश्रयेत्: should resort to
• संश्रयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√श्रि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhāgīrathī-tīra in Kāśī

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A scholar with manuscripts and a strong man with weapons stand away from the ghat, appearing diminished; a simple devotee on the Bhāgīrathī bank shines with calm dignity; the ghat is welcoming and open.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly accomplishments (learning, power) are considered hollow if one neglects refuge in and service to the sacred Gaṅgā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā) riverbank, a key tīrtha-space in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To ‘resort to’ (saṃśraya) and regularly serve/visit the Gaṅgā’s bank (tīra-sevā).