Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

कृता नानाविधा धर्मा इष्टापूर्तास्तु तैर्नृभिः । वार्धकं समनुप्राप्य प्रापि यैर्मणिकर्णिका

Transliteration

kṛtā nānāvidhā dharmā iṣṭāpūrtāstu tairnṛbhiḥ | vārdhakaṃ samanuprāpya prāpi yairmaṇikarṇikā

Translation

నానావిధ ధర్మాలను, ముఖ్యంగా ఇష్ట-పూర్త కర్మలను, ఆచరించిన వారు—వృద్ధాప్యాన్ని చేరినపుడు మణికర్ణికను పొందుతారు।

Word by Word

• कृताः: done, performed
• कृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-कृदन्त used adjectivally (agreeing with धर्माः)

• नानाविधाः: of many kinds
• नानाविधाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय: नानाः विधाः = of various kinds

• धर्माः: duties, righteous acts
• धर्माः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• इष्टापूर्ताः: (acts) of iṣṭa and pūrta
• इष्टापूर्ताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इष्ट (√यज्, क्त-कृदन्त) + पूर्त (√पॄ/√पूर्, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व: इष्टं च पूर्तं च (sacrificial and charitable works)

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), contrast/emphasis

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• नृभिः: by men
• नृभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• वार्धकम्: old age
• वार्धकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• समनुप्राप्य: having reached
• समनुप्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + अनु + √प्राप् (धातु) → प्राप्य (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘having reached/attained’

• प्रापि: was attained
• प्रापि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √आप् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; (प्र+√आप्) = obtained/was obtained

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• मणिकर्णिका: Maṇikarṇikā
• मणिकर्णिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devotee/sage audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Householders building wells/ghats, feeding pilgrims, performing simple rites; later, as elders, they arrive at Maṇikarṇikā supported by staff, offering prayers to Gaṅgā and Śiva, embodying dharma’s completion.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇikarṇikā
• Iṣṭa
• Pūrta
• Dharma
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A lifetime of dharma—ritual duty and public benefaction—matures into the blessing of reaching Kāśī’s liberating tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Māṇikarṇikā in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practice of iṣṭa (ritual/sacrificial duties) and pūrta (charitable public works) as dharmic disciplines.