Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

अभिलष्यंति ये नित्यं धनं चात्र प्रतिग्रहैः । परस्वं कपटैर्वापि काशी सेव्या न तैर्नरैः

Transliteration

abhilaṣyaṃti ye nityaṃ dhanaṃ cātra pratigrahaiḥ | parasvaṃ kapaṭairvāpi kāśī sevyā na tairnaraiḥ

Translation

جو لوگ یہاں ہمیشہ نذرانے قبول کر کے دولت کی حرص رکھتے ہیں، یا فریب سے دوسروں کا مال ہڑپتے ہیں—ایسے آدمیوں کے لیے کاشی کی سیوا مناسب نہیں۔

Word by Word

• abhilaṣyanti: they desire/long for
• abhilaṣyanti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhilaṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• dhanam: wealth
• dhanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

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

• atra: here (in this place)
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• pratigrahaiḥ: by acceptances (of gifts)
• pratigrahaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• parasvam: another’s property
• parasvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para-sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (परस्य स्वम्)

• kapaṭaiḥ: by deceit/trickery
• kapaṭaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• kāśī: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• kāśī: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• sevyā: to be served/visited
• sevyā: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sevya (कृदन्त; √sev धातु)
• Form: भाव्य (gerundive/तव्यत्-अर्थ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण (predicate adjective)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• naraiḥ: by men/people
• naraiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Kāśī’s ghāṭa turns away from a tempting pile of coins and rejected gifts, choosing instead to offer water to a Śiva-liṅga; shadowy figures of deceit fade behind him as the city’s sacred light remains steady.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Dāna/Pratigraha (gift-taking)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed-driven religiosity and deceitful acquisition violate the spirit of Kāśī and obstruct liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), upheld as a place requiring integrity in livelihood and conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it warns against improper pratigraha (gift-taking) and fraudulent gain while in Kāśī.