Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

जातमात्रः शिशुस्तावद्यावदष्टौ समाः स्मृताः । भक्ष्याभक्ष्येषु नो दु्ष्येद्यावन्नैवोपनीयते

Transliteration

jātamātraḥ śiśustāvadyāvadaṣṭau samāḥ smṛtāḥ | bhakṣyābhakṣyeṣu no du्ṣyedyāvannaivopanīyate

Translation

ਕਿਹਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਬੱਚਾ ਜਨਮ ਤੋਂ ਅੱਠ ਸਾਲ ਤੱਕ ‘ਨਵਜਾਤ’ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ; ਜਦ ਤੱਕ ਉਪਨਯਨ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦਾ, ਖਾਣਯੋਗ-ਅਖਾਣਯੋਗ ਦੇ ਮਾਮਲੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਦੋਸ਼ੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਠਹਿਰਾਇਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ।

Word by Word

• जातमात्रः: newly born
• जातमात्रः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय (जात एव मात्रः)

• शिशुः: a child
• शिशुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-प्रयोग)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (so long/that much)

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधि-संबन्धक-अव्यय (as long as)

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषणम्

• समाः: years
• समाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• स्मृताः: are regarded (as)
• स्मृताः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि/भावे—‘are considered’

• भक्ष्याभक्ष्येषु: in (matters of) edible and inedible
• भक्ष्याभक्ष्येषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ष्य + अभक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), बहुवचन; समासः द्वन्द्व (भक्ष्यं च अभक्ष्यं च)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• दुष्येत्: should be at fault / be tainted
• दुष्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दुष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (until)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय

• उपनीयते: is initiated (with upanayana)
• उपनीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + नी (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small child in Kāśī near a guru’s abode, holding a simple toy or fruit; elders discuss upanayana and dietary discipline. A sacred thread ceremony is hinted by a yajñopavīta and a small altar in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Śiśu (child)
• Upanayana
• Bhakṣya/Abhakṣya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moral responsibility is gradual; before initiation and maturity, a child is treated with leniency in rule-based matters such as dietary prohibitions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is part of Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dharma discourse in the sacred setting of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upanayana (initiation) is referenced as the threshold after which stricter dharmic accountability applies.