Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

वेदा इव सदभ्यस्ताः समये वा यथांबुदाः । ब्राह्मणेभ्यो यथा दत्ताः श्रद्धयार्था महापदि

Transliteration

vedā iva sadabhyastāḥ samaye vā yathāṃbudāḥ | brāhmaṇebhyo yathā dattāḥ śraddhayārthā mahāpadi

Translation

వారు అంతే సులభంగా లేచిరి—నిత్యాభ్యాసంతో వేదాలు స్పష్టమయ్యేలా; కాలానుగుణంగా మేఘాలు కమ్ముకొచ్చేలా; మహావిపత్తులో శ్రద్ధతో బ్రాహ్మణులకు ఇచ్చిన ధనం రక్షకఫలమిచ్చేలా।

Word by Word

• वेदाः: the Vedas
• वेदाः: Upamāna (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• इव: like
• इव: Upamādyotaka (Simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय

• सत्: well, properly
• सत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘well/rightly’; अभ्यस्ताः इति सह

• अभ्यस्ताः: practised/recited
• अभ्यस्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि-अस्/अभ्यास (धातु/भाव) → अभ्यस्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• समये: at the proper time
• समये: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• वा: or/indeed
• वा: Vākyasaṃbandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Upamādyotaka (Simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय

• अम्बुदाः: clouds
• अम्बुदाः: Upamāna (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• ब्राह्मणेभ्यः: to the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणेभ्यः: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), बहुवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Upamādyotaka (Simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय

• दत्ताः: given
• दत्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karaṇa (Instrument/means; manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• अर्थाः: wealth, valuables
• अर्थाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• महापदि: in a great crisis
• महापदि: Adhikaraṇa (Time/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन; (महापद = great calamity/critical time)

Speaker

Skanda (narrator; concluding similes)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dānava-pati (implied audience within the scene)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic flourish: revived warriors compared to (a) Vedas emerging through constant study, (b) clouds assembling in season, (c) wealth given with faith to brāhmaṇas in a great crisis yielding saving fruit—three symbolic panels around the central revival.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Brāhmaṇa
• Śraddhā
• Ambuda (cloud)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady practice, timely order, and faith-filled charity are depicted as forces that reliably produce beneficial results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse offers general dharmic similes within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It commends dāna—giving wealth to Brāhmaṇas with śraddhā, especially in times of great distress.