Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

साक्षाच्च सर्वे मंत्रा वै साक्षाद्यज्ञपुमानसौ । आचार्यपदवीमेष देवाचार्यः स्वयं चरेत् । साक्षाद्ब्रह्मा स्वयं चैष भृगुर्वै कर्मकांडवित्

Transliteration

sākṣācca sarve maṃtrā vai sākṣādyajñapumānasau | ācāryapadavīmeṣa devācāryaḥ svayaṃ caret | sākṣādbrahmā svayaṃ caiṣa bhṛgurvai karmakāṃḍavit

Translation

At ang lahat ng mga mantra ay nararapat na maging tila naroroon mismo; ang mismong Persona ng Yajña ay dapat mahayag. Ang tungkulin ng ācārya ay dapat gampanan ng banal na guro mismo. Nararapat ding naroon si Brahmā, at si Bhṛgu—ang nakaaalam sa bahagi ng ritwal (karma-kāṇḍa).

Word by Word

• sākṣāt: directly
• sākṣāt: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (directly)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• maṃtrāḥ: mantras
• maṃtrāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃtra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/अनुनासिक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• sākṣāt: directly
• sākṣāt: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय

• yajña-pumān: the sacrifice-person (Yajña personified)
• yajña-pumān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + pumān/puman (पुमन्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘यज्ञः एव पुमान्’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• asau: that one (he)
• asau: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (अदस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• ācārya-padavīm: the status/position of an ācārya
• ācārya-padavīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ācārya (प्रातिपदिक) + padavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘आचार्यस्य पदवी’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc./2nd), एकवचन

• eṣaḥ: this one (he)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• deva-ācāryaḥ: teacher of the gods
• deva-ācāryaḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + ācārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘देवानाम् आचार्यः’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वार्थक-अव्यय

• caret: should act/perform
• caret: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (चर् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sākṣāt: directly
• sākṣāt: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (ब्रह्मन्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वार्थक-अव्यय

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• eṣaḥ: this one (he)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• bhṛguḥ: Bhṛgu
• bhṛguḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛgu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• karma-kāṇḍa-vit: knower of ritual section (karma-kāṇḍa)
• karma-kāṇḍa-vit: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karma-kāṇḍa (कर्म + काण्ड) + vit (विद् धातु → वित् ‘knower’)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘कर्मकाण्डं वेत्ति’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa norm)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic yajña: luminous mantras as personified syllabic beings hover; Yajña-Puruṣa stands radiant; a divine guru officiates; Brahmā and Bhṛgu sit as authoritative witnesses.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Bhṛgu
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True ritual legitimacy is extraordinarily rare; it requires flawless mantra, realized yajña-spirit, and unimpeachable priestly authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Though not naming a tirtha, the teaching reflects Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s dharmic lens: in Kāśī, inner truth outweighs mere ceremonial display.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An extreme benchmark for yajña: mantras, Yajña-person, divine ācārya, Brahmā, and Bhṛgu should be present in person.