Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

सर्वे सुखाय मे दक्ष वीक्षमाणस्य सर्वतः । एकं दुःखाकरोत्येव यत्त्वं विस्मृतवानसि

Transliteration

sarve sukhāya me dakṣa vīkṣamāṇasya sarvataḥ | ekaṃ duḥkhākarotyeva yattvaṃ vismṛtavānasi

Translation

โอ้ทักษะ! สิ่งทั้งปวงที่ข้าพเจ้ามองเห็นรอบด้านดูประหนึ่งจัดไว้เพื่อความสุขของข้า; แต่มีสิ่งหนึ่งเท่านั้นที่ก่อทุกข์ คือท่านได้หลงลืมมันเสียแล้ว

Word by Word

• सर्वे: all (people/things)
• सर्वे: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सुखाय: for happiness
• सुखाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/for-purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• मे: of me; my
• मे: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप (pronoun)

• दक्ष: O Dakṣa
• दक्ष: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वीक्षमाणस्य: of (me) observing
• वीक्षमाणस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीक्ष् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle/शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘of (me) who is observing’

• सर्वतः: from all sides; everywhere
• सर्वतः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Scope)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सर्वदिक्/सर्वतः (from all sides)

• एकम्: one (thing)
• एकम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• दुःख: sorrow
• दुःख: Karma (कर्म/Object as part of compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (समासपूर्वपद)

• आकरोति: causes; makes
• आकरोति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic/only)

• यत्: because; that
• यत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय (relative particle) ‘because/that’

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप (pronoun)

• विस्मृतवान्: have forgotten
• विस्मृतवान्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-स्मृ (धातु) + क्तवतुँ (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (perfect participle/क्तवतुँ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; परिप्रयोगे ‘has forgotten’

• असि: are
• असि: Kriya (क्रिया/Auxiliary)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Dadhīci (addressing Dakṣa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dadhīci (or a sage-speaker) addresses Dakṣa amid a splendid sacrificial arena; despite abundance, the sage’s face shows sorrowful gravity, pointing to the missing remembrance of the Lord.

Characters & Entities

• Dadhīci
• Dakṣa
• Īśvara (implied as the ‘forgotten’ principle)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual splendor is insufficient if the central divine principle is forgotten; remembrance of Īśvara is the heart of sacred action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse occurs within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s sacred frame, using a moral-theological lesson rather than direct tīrtha praise in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A corrective principle: do not conduct yajña as mere ceremony—ensure the intended deity/Īśvara is properly invoked and honored.