Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

दानहानिर्गजेष्वेव द्रुमेष्वेव हि कंटकाः । जनेष्वेव विहारा हि न कस्यचिदुरःस्थली

Transliteration

dānahānirgajeṣveva drumeṣveva hi kaṃṭakāḥ | janeṣveva vihārā hi na kasyaciduraḥsthalī

Translation

ณ ที่ซึ่งการสิ้นสุดของ 'ทาน' (น้ำมันช้าง) มีเพียงในช้าง และหนามแหลมมีอยู่เพียงบนต้นไม้ มิใช่ในจิตใจของผู้คน

Word by Word

• dānahāniḥ: Loss of rut fluid (Pun: Cessation of charity)
• dānahāniḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānahāni (दानहानि)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

• gajeṣu: In elephants
• gajeṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja (गज)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी), Plural

• eva: Only
• eva: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव)
• Form: Particle

• drumeṣu: In trees
• drumeṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: druma (द्रुम)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी), Plural

• eva: Only
• eva: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव)
• Form: Particle

• hi: Indeed/For
• hi: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (हि)
• Form: Particle

• kaṇṭakāḥ: Thorns (Pun: Enemies/Obstacles)
• kaṇṭakāḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṇṭaka (कण्टक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural

• janeṣu: In people
• janeṣu: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (जन)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी), Plural

• eva: Only
• eva: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव)
• Form: Particle

• vihārāḥ: Pleasure walks/Gardens
• vihārāḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vihāra (विहार)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural

• hi: Indeed
• hi: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (हि)
• Form: Particle

• na: Not
• na: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न)
• Form: Particle

• kasyacit: Of anyone
• kasyacit: Sambandha (Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kimcit (किञ्चित्)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (षष्ठी), Singular

• uraḥsthalī: Chest region (Pun: Heartache/Burden)
• uraḥsthalī: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uraḥsthalī (उरःस्थली)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast scene: in the ‘degraded land,’ people lounge in indulgence while no one steps forward to help; elephants symbolically ‘lose dāna’ (a pun on rut/temple-gift imagery) and trees alone bear thorns. In Kāśī, devotees distribute food at a ghāṭa under Annapūrṇā’s blessing, with compassionate faces and upright posture.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A dharmic land is recognized by generosity, courage, and compassionate hearts; indulgence without virtue marks decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is praised implicitly as a place where dāna and dharma thrive, contrasted with lands lacking noble-hearted people.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna is highlighted as a core dharmic marker (though not given as a step-by-step rite here), aligning with Kāśī pilgrimage practices of charity and offerings.