Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

यत्र क्षपणका एव दृश्यंते मलधारिणः । प्रायो मधुव्रता एव यत्र चंचलवृत्तयः

Transliteration

yatra kṣapaṇakā eva dṛśyaṃte maladhāriṇaḥ | prāyo madhuvratā eva yatra caṃcalavṛttayaḥ

Translation

وہاں صرف سچے کْشپَنَک ہی دکھائی دیتے ہیں—جو ریاضت کی علامتیں دھارے ہوتے ہیں؛ اور جو کردار میں چنچل ہیں وہ اکثر محض ‘مدھوورت’ ہیں—شہد کی مکھیوں کی طرح بھنبھناتے، فطرتاً بےقرار۔

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• क्षपणकाः: Kṣapaṇakas (ascetics/sect)
• क्षपणकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षपणक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• एव: only, indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle of emphasis)

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen
• दृश्यन्ते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: 'are seen')

• मल-धारिणः: wearers of filth/impurity
• मल-धारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मल (प्रातिपदिक) + धारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्रायः: mostly, generally
• प्रायः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रायः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: generally/mostly)

• मधु-व्रताः: those with 'honey-vow' (madhuvrata; context-specific group)
• मधु-व्रताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• एव: only, indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle of emphasis)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• चञ्चल-वृत्तयः: restless ways/behaviours
• चञ्चल-वृत्तयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चञ्चल (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two contrasting groups on a Kāśī lane: steadfast kṣapaṇakas with austere marks and calm gaze; nearby, ‘madhuvrata’-like wanderers flit from shrine to shrine, distracted, like bees around flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣapaṇaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred ideal is steadiness and genuine austerity; fickleness is criticized as superficial wandering without inner discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), depicted as a place where authentic ascetic life is visible and valued.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the focus is on authentic tapas and stable conduct.