Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

ततोथ नवमे वर्षे पित्रोः शुश्रूषणे रतम् । वैश्वानरं गृहपतिं दृष्ट्वा कामचरो मुनिः

Transliteration

tatotha navame varṣe pitroḥ śuśrūṣaṇe ratam | vaiśvānaraṃ gṛhapatiṃ dṛṣṭvā kāmacaro muniḥ

Translation

ତେବେ ନବମ ବର୍ଷରେ, ପିତାମାତାଙ୍କ ଶୁଶ୍ରୂଷାରେ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ରତ ଶିଶୁ ଗୃହପତି ବୈଶ୍ୱାନରଙ୍କୁ ଦେଖି, ସ୍ୱେଚ୍ଛାଚାରୀ ମୁନି ତାଙ୍କ ନିକଟକୁ ଆସିଲେ।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): तदनन्तरम् (thereafter)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): अनन्तरारम्भसूचक (then/now)

• navame: in the ninth
• navame: Adhikarana (Location in time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: navama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे? (agreeing with varṣe), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (singular)

• varṣe: year
• varṣe: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (singular)

• pitroḥ: of (his) parents
• pitroḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन (dual)

• śuśrūṣaṇe: in service/attendance
• śuśrūṣaṇe: Adhikarana (Sphere/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuśrūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक; from √śru with desiderative sense)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (singular)

• ratam: engaged (in)
• ratam: Karma (Object of seeing/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rata (प्रातिपदिक; past participial adjective from √ram)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण (qualifying the person implied)

• vaiśvānaram: Vaiśvānara
• vaiśvānaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśvānara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular)

• gṛhapatim: the householder/master of the house
• gṛhapatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhapati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (singular); apposition to vaiśvānaram

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), ‘having seen’

• kāmacaraḥ: moving at will
• kāmacaraḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāmacara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण (of muniḥ)

• muniḥ: sage
• muniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame traditionally Skanda-to-Agastya)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame) / pilgrims-seekers (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene forest hermitage near Kāśī: young Gṛhapati attentively serving his parents—offering water, arranging seats—while the wandering sage approaches, observing the boy’s devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśvānara
• Gṛhapati
• Muni (later identified as Nārada)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dharma begins with devoted service to one’s parents, presented as a visible mark of virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting (Kāśī/Varanasi), though this line itself focuses on household dharma rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it highlights the discipline of parental service (śuśrūṣā) as a lived vow.