Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

किं किमाचरता स्कंद काशी प्राप्येत तद्वद । मन्ये विना सदाचारं न सिद्ध्येयुर्मनोरथाः

Transliteration

kiṃ kimācaratā skaṃda kāśī prāpyeta tadvada | manye vinā sadācāraṃ na siddhyeyurmanorathāḥ

Translation

О Сканда, скажи: каким поведением и какими дисциплинами поистине достигают Каши (Kāśī)? Я полагаю, что без благого поведения (sadācāra) не исполнятся сердечные стремления.

Word by Word

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Pronoun; Neuter; Nom/Acc; Singular)

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Pronoun; Neuter; Nom/Acc; Singular)

• ācaratā: by practicing/doing
• ācaratā: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (धातु) + ā + at (शतृ)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-वर्तमानकृदन्त); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Present active participle; Instrumental; Singular)

• skaṃda: O Skanda
• skaṃda: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skaṃda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Vocative; Singular)

• kāśī: Kāśī
• kāśī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Feminine; Nominative; Singular)

• prāpyeta: would be attained
• prāpyeta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) + pra + यक् (कर्मणि)
• Form: लिङ् (विधिलिङ्); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Optative; 3rd person; Singular; Passive)

• tad: that
• tad: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Pronoun; Neuter; Accusative; Singular)

• vat: thus/like that
• vat: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vat (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तुलनार्थक (indeclinable; ‘like/in that manner’)

• manye: I think
• manye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (धातु)
• Form: लट्; उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present; 1st person; Singular; Active)

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वियोगार्थक (indeclinable; without)

• sadācāram: good conduct
• sadācāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sad-ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Accusative; Singular); समासः सत्+आचार (good conduct)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• siddhyeyuḥ: would succeed/be fulfilled
• siddhyeyuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sidh (धातु)
• Form: लिङ् (विधिलिङ्); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (Optative; 3rd person; Plural; Active)

• manorathāḥ: wishes
• manorathāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manoratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Plural); समासः मनस्+रथ (desire/longing)

Speaker

Agastya (deduced; questioning Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sincere seeker questions Skanda about the precise conduct and disciplines by which one truly ‘attains’ Kāśī, asserting that without sadācāra desires cannot succeed.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Sadācāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places bear fruit when approached with inner discipline—sadācāra is presented as the key that makes spiritual aspirations succeed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), approached not merely geographically but through dharmic readiness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse emphasizes sadācāra (right conduct) rather than a specific rite, framing ethics as the primary ‘practice’ for a fruitful Kāśī connection.