Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69
Devanagari script
सुकृतं नैव सततमाख्यातव्यं कदाचन । कृतं मयेति कथनात्पुण्यं क्षयति तत्क्षणात्
Transliteration
sukṛtaṃ naiva satatamākhyātavyaṃ kadācana | kṛtaṃ mayeti kathanātpuṇyaṃ kṣayati tatkṣaṇāt
Translation
Nunca se deve ficar proclamando continuamente a própria boa ação. Pois ao dizer: «Eu fiz», o mérito (puṇya) se reduz naquele mesmo instante.
Word by Word
सुकृतम्meritorious deed
सुकृतम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootसु-कृत (प्रातिपदिक; कृत-प्रत्ययान्त)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘सुकृत’ = good deed/merit
नnot
न:
Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formनिषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)
एवindeed/just
एव:
Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formअवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)
सततम्always/constantly
सततम्:
Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसतत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formक्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूतं (adverbial accusative)
आख्यातव्यम्should be proclaimed
आख्यातव्यम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeVerb
Rootआ-ख्या (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्)
Formतव्यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive/passive necessity), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘should be declared’
कदाचनever/at any time
कदाचन:
Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकदाचन (अव्यय)
Formकालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)
कृतम्the deed done
कृतम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
Formक्त-कृदन्त (past passive participle used substantively), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘done (deed)’
मयाby me
मया:
Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootअस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formउत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3), एकवचन
इतिthus
इति:
Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति (अव्यय)
Formउद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)
कथनात्from (the act of) saying
कथनात्:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeNoun
Rootकथन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)
पुण्यम्merit
पुण्यम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootपुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन
क्षयतिperishes/diminishes
क्षयति:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootक्षि (धातु)
Formलट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
तत्क्षणात्immediately
तत्क्षणात्:
Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्-क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् कालवाचक-प्रयोगः (immediately; from that moment)
Speaker
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
FAQs
Merit is protected by humility; self-advertising one’s virtue causes spiritual merit to decline.
The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this verse focuses on ethical conduct rather than a single tirtha.
A behavioral discipline: avoid proclaiming one’s good deeds, especially with egoistic ownership (“I did it”).