Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

एवं कुर्वन्नरो जातु न दरिद्रो न दुःखभाक् । व्याधिभिर्मुच्यते घोरैरपिजन्मांतरार्जितैः

Transliteration

evaṃ kurvannaro jātu na daridro na duḥkhabhāk | vyādhibhirmucyate ghorairapijanmāṃtarārjitaiḥ

Translation

एवं कृत्वा नरः कदाचिन्न दरिद्रो भवति न च दुःखभाग्। घोरैर्व्याधिभिर्मुच्यते, येऽपि जन्मान्तरार्जिताः॥

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this way
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘एवम्’ = thus/in this manner

• कुर्वन्: doing (so)
• कुर्वन्: Kartṛ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कुर्वत् (कृदन्त/वर्तमानकृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘doing’

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Kartṛ (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जातु: ever, at any time
• जातु: Kālādhi karaṇa / Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/particle of time): ‘ever/at any time’

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• दरिद्रः: poor
• दरिद्रः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दरिद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (predicate adjective)

• न: nor/not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• दुःखभाक्: one who suffers sorrow
• दुःखभाक्: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + भाज् (धातु) → भाक् (कृदन्त/नामधातुजन्य)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दुःखस्य भाक् = ‘partaker of sorrow’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• व्याधिभिः: by diseases
• व्याधिभिः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• घोरैः: terrible
• घोरैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘vyādhibhiḥ’)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha / Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अवधारण/particle): ‘even/also’

• जन्मान्तरार्जितैः: acquired in other births
• जन्मान्तरार्जितैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्जित (कृदन्त, √अर्ज्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: जन्मान्तर-आर्जित (other-birth-acquired); ‘अर्जित’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) from अर्ज्; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘vyādhibhiḥ’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya and/or assembled sages (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī performs the prescribed observance with folded hands; behind him the Gaṅgā ghāṭas and a subtle aura of healing light dispels dark, disease-like shadows labeled as past-karma.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady, dharmic worship is presented as a purifier of karmic burdens and a support for well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The phalaśruti is embedded in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It refers back to the prescribed arghya-and-nāma recitation to Sūrya at the daily sandhyās.