Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

व्यसनार्थे कुटुंबार्थे यदृणार्थे च दीयते । तदक्षयं भवेदत्र परत्र च न संशयः

Transliteration

vyasanārthe kuṭuṃbārthe yadṛṇārthe ca dīyate | tadakṣayaṃ bhavedatra paratra ca na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

สิ่งใดที่ให้เพื่อบรรเทาภัยพิบัติ เพื่อเกื้อกูลครอบครัว หรือเพื่อชำระหนี้ ทานนั้นย่อมเป็นอักขยะ คือไม่เสื่อมสูญ ทั้งในโลกนี้และโลกหน้าโดยไม่ต้องสงสัย

Word by Word

• vyasana-arthe: for (relieving) calamity/distress
• vyasana-arthe: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyasana (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (व्यसनस्य अर्थे = व्यसनार्थे)

• kuṭumba-arthe: for the family’s needs
• kuṭumba-arthe: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṭumba (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कुटुम्बस्य अर्थे)

• yat-ṛṇa-arthe: for repaying a debt
• yat-ṛṇa-arthe: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (यस्य ऋणस्य अर्थे = यदृणार्थे)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• dīyate: is given
• dīyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• tat: that (gift/act)
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘भवेत्’ इत्यस्य कर्ता

• akṣayam: imperishable
• akṣayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वकं; ‘तत्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• bhavet: would become/is assured to be
• bhavet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• atra: here (in this world)
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• paratra: there (in the next world)
• paratra: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paratra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• na: no/not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three vignettes: aiding a flood/fire victim, feeding one’s household, and repaying a creditor with humility—each framed as luminous ‘akṣaya’ merit in Kāśī’s sacred ambience.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Support given in genuine necessity—crisis, family maintenance, and debt relief—earns enduring merit rather than being seen as spiritually inferior.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction appears in the Kāśī Khaṇḍa setting; it aligns household ethics with the dharma ethos celebrated in Kāśī Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A dharmic guideline for dāna: giving aimed at relieving distress, sustaining dependents, and clearing obligations is praised as akṣaya (imperishable).