Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

काश्यप उवाच । रामनाथ तव पादसेविनां किं व्रतैरुत तपोभिरध्वरैः । वेदशास्त्र जपचिन्तया च किं स्वर्गसिन्धुपयसापि किं फलम्

Transliteration

kāśyapa uvāca | rāmanātha tava pādasevināṃ kiṃ vratairuta tapobhiradhvaraiḥ | vedaśāstra japacintayā ca kiṃ svargasindhupayasāpi kiṃ phalam

Translation

กาศยปะกล่าวว่า: “โอ้ พระรามนาถะ ผู้ที่ปรนนิบัติรับใช้พระบาทของพระองค์ จะต้องมีศีลวัตร ตบะ หรือพิธียัญบูชาไปเพื่อสิ่งใด? จะต้องศึกษาเวทและศาสตรา ทำชปะและภาวนาไปเพื่อสิ่งใด? แม้สายน้ำแห่งแม่น้ำสวรรค์จะยังให้ผลใดได้ยิ่งกว่านี้เล่า?”

Word by Word

• काश्यपः: Kāśyapa
• काश्यपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कश्यप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• रामनाथ: O Lord of Rāma (O Rāmanātha)
• रामनाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पादसेविनाम्: of the servants of (your) feet
• पादसेविनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद + सेविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• किम्: what (use?)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• व्रतैः: by vows; with observances
• व्रतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• उत: or/and
• उत: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/विकल्पार्थक-निपात (particle: 'or/and')

• तपोभिः: by austerities
• तपोभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अध्वरैः: by sacrifices
• अध्वरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• वेदशास्त्र: Vedas and śāstras
• वेदशास्त्र: Vishaya (Topic/object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व

• जपचिन्तया: by recitation and contemplation
• जपचिन्तया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप + चिन्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• किम्: what (use?)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• स्वर्गसिन्धुपयसाऽपि: even by the milk of the heavenly river
• स्वर्गसिन्धुपयसाऽपि: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + सिन्धु + पयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अपि (अव्यय) संलग्न

• किम्: what (use?)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

Speaker

Kāśyapa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmanātha (Rāmeśvara) at Setu

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāmanātha (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Kāśyapa, hands folded, praises Rāmanātha’s lotus-feet; behind, the sea-setu horizon and the temple-liṅga sanctum glow, suggesting that even heavenly Gaṅgā pales before devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśyapa
• Rāmanātha (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Single-point devotion—serving the Lord’s feet—is presented as surpassing ritual, austerity, and even famed purifying waters.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śrī Rāmanātha at Setu—identified with the Rāmeśvaram/Setubandha sacred geography in the Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; common meritorious acts (vrata, tapa, yajña, japa, śāstra-study) are referenced to emphasize that bhakti is supreme.