Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

क्षत्रियान्धर्मनिरतान्वैश्यान्सन्मार्गवर्तिनः । शूद्रान्द्विजेषु भक्तांश्च निष्पापो जायते द्विजः

Transliteration

kṣatriyāndharmaniratānvaiśyānsanmārgavartinaḥ | śūdrāndvijeṣu bhaktāṃśca niṣpāpo jāyate dvijaḥ

Translation

Kapag ang mga Kṣatriya na nakatuon sa dharma, ang mga Vaiśya na lumalakad sa mabuting landas, at ang mga Śūdra na may debosyon sa mga dalawang-ulit-na-isinilang ay nakikibahagi (sa gayong pakikinig at pagsasagawa), ang dalawang-ulit-na-isinilang ay nagiging walang kasalanan.

Word by Word

• kṣatriyān: Kṣatriyas
• kṣatriyān: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), बहुवचन (Plural)

• dharma-niratān: engaged in dharma
• dharma-niratān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + nirata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), बहुवचन (Plural)

• vaiśyān: Vaiśyas
• vaiśyān: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), बहुवचन (Plural)

• sat-mārga-vartinaḥ: walking on the good path
• sat-mārga-vartinaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + mārga (प्रातिपदिक) + vartin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), बहुवचन (Plural)

• śūdrān: Śūdras
• śūdrān: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), बहुवचन (Plural)

• dvijeṣu: towards/among the twice-born
• dvijeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), बहुवचन (Plural)

• bhaktān: devoted
• bhaktān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• niṣpāpaḥ: sinless
• niṣpāpaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niṣpāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन (Singular)

• jāyate: is born / becomes
• jāyate: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• dvijaḥ: a Brahmin / twice-born
• dvijaḥ: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A civic-religious tableau: a Kṣatriya patron offering protection and gifts, a Vaiśya supporting with honest trade and charity, and a Śūdra offering respectful service; at the center a Brāhmaṇa recites sacred lore, symbolizing communal dharma leading to purification.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣatriya
• Vaiśya
• Śūdra
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma lived according to one’s station, joined with devotion and right conduct, supports purification and spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate context remains Kāśī-māhātmya; the verse underscores community-wide dharmic participation around that sacred teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No separate rite is specified here; it reinforces the prior practice of faithful hearing/participation, framed through dharmic conduct of different groups.