Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

वणिक्च तद्गृहं प्राप्य शुष्ककंठोष्ठतालुकः । दृष्ट्वाऽथ चैलशकलं तृणकुट्यंतरे तदा

Transliteration

vaṇikca tadgṛhaṃ prāpya śuṣkakaṃṭhoṣṭhatālukaḥ | dṛṣṭvā'tha cailaśakalaṃ tṛṇakuṭyaṃtare tadā

Translation

Ang mangangalakal, pagdating sa bahay na iyon na tuyong-tuyo ang lalamunan, labi, at ngalangala, ay napansin noon ang isang piraso ng tela sa loob ng kubong damo.

Word by Word

• वणिक्: the merchant
• वणिक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वणिज्/वणिक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तत्-गृहं: his house
• तत्-गृहं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तस्य गृहं)

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund)

• शुष्क-कण्ठ-ओष्ठ-तालुकः: whose throat, lips, and palate were dry
• शुष्क-कण्ठ-ओष्ठ-तालुकः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुष्क (प्रातिपदिक) + कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + ओष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + तालु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (यस्य कण्ठ-ओष्ठ-तालु शुष्कं सः)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (sequence marker/adverb)

• चैल-शकलम्: a piece of cloth
• चैल-शकलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैल (प्रातिपदिक) + शकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (चैलस्य शकलम्)

• तृण-कुट्यन्तरे: inside the grass-hut
• तृण-कुट्यन्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृण (प्रातिपदिक) + कुटी (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तृणकुट्याः अन्तरे)

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Kāla (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A merchant arrives at a humble grass-hut, visibly parched; inside, he notices a small piece of cloth—an ominous clue amid poverty.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṇik (merchant)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse sets the scene for inquiry and truth-seeking, a recurring Purāṇic theme where dharma is uncovered through patient investigation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the verse is domestic in setting within the larger Kāśī narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.