Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

पशवोपि तृणाहारं परित्यज्य हरेर्दिने । उपोषणपरा जाता अन्येषां का कथा नृणाम्

Transliteration

paśavopi tṛṇāhāraṃ parityajya harerdine | upoṣaṇaparā jātā anyeṣāṃ kā kathā nṛṇām

Translation

ஹரியின் நாளில் மிருகங்கள்கூட புல்‑உணவை விட்டுவிட்டு நோன்பில் ஈடுபட்டன; பிற உயிர்கள், குறிப்பாக மனிதர்கள் பற்றி சொல்லவே என்ன?

Word by Word

• paśavaḥ: animals
• paśavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-निपात (particle: even/also)

• tṛṇāhāram: grass-food (fodder)
• tṛṇāhāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: तृणस्य आहारः

• parityajya: having given up
• parityajya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + √tyaj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having abandoned)

• hareḥ: of Hari
• hareḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• dine: on the day
• dine: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• upoṣaṇaparāḥ: devoted to fasting
• upoṣaṇaparāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upoṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: उपोषणे पराः (devoted to fasting)

• jātāḥ: have become
• jātāḥ: Kriya (State/result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘भू’/‘अस्’ अर्थे (have become)

• anyeṣām: of others
• anyeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• kā: what
• kā: Karta (Interrogative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• kathā: talk/mention
• kathā: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, typically Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pastoral edge of the city: cows, deer, and other animals stand calmly away from grazing, while devotees process with lamps and tulasī; the atmosphere suggests a universal hush of fasting on Hari’s day.

Characters & Entities

• Hari

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with dharma and bhakti elevates all life; humans should practice vrata even more consciously.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s sanctifying influence (Kāśīkhaṇḍa) that makes devotional observance natural and widespread.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upavāsa/upoṣaṇa (fasting) on Hari’s day.