Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

मातृमातृष्वसृस्वसृपितृस्वसृपुरःसराः । प्रथमं भिक्षणीयाः स्युरेतायाचन नो वदेत्

Transliteration

mātṛmātṛṣvasṛsvasṛpitṛsvasṛpuraḥsarāḥ | prathamaṃ bhikṣaṇīyāḥ syuretāyācana no vadet

Translation

భిక్షను ముందుగా తల్లి, మేనత్త (తల్లి సోదరి), సోదరి, పిన్ని (తండ్రి సోదరి) మరియు ముందుండే ఇతర పెద్ద/రక్షక స్త్రీల వద్ద అడగాలి। వారి వద్ద భిక్షయాచనలో ‘లేదు’ అని తిరస్కార మాటలు పలకకూడదు।

Word by Word

• मातृमातृष्वसृस्वसृपितृस्वसृपुरःसराः: mother, maternal aunt, sister, paternal aunt, and the leading (elder) women
• मातृमातृष्वसृस्वसृपितृस्वसृपुरःसराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक) + मातृ-स्वसृ (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वसृ (प्रातिपदिक) + पितृ-स्वसृ (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरःसर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; बहुपद-इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (enumerative): माता, मातृस्वसा, स्वसा, पितृस्वसा, पुरःसराः (leading women/elders)

• प्रथमम्: first
• प्रथमम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘first’

• भिक्षणीयाः: should be begged from
• भिक्षणीयाः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिक्षणीय (कृदन्त; √भिक्ष् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विध्यर्थक-णीयत् (gerundive) ‘to be begged from’

• स्युः: should be
• स्युः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• एतया: by this (formula/wording)
• एतया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• याचन: a request/begging
• याचन: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; here as object-complement ‘request/begging’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• वदेत्: should say
• वदेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Students/householders/pilgrims as implied audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brahmacārī stands with folded hands before his mother and elder women at the threshold; they place alms into his bowl. The scene emphasizes modest posture, guardians standing in front, and gentle domestic sanctity within Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility is guided by gratitude and respect: the student’s dependence is first acknowledged within the protective circle of family elders.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs in Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī context, portraying the holy city as a seat of refined dharma and social-sacred order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prescribes the proper order/persons from whom a brahmacārī should first seek bhikṣā (alms).