Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

तेषां त्रयाणां शुश्रूषा परमं तप उच्यते । तानतिक्रम्य यः कुर्यात्तन्नसिद्ध्येत्कदाचन

Transliteration

teṣāṃ trayāṇāṃ śuśrūṣā paramaṃ tapa ucyate | tānatikramya yaḥ kuryāttannasiddhyetkadācana

Translation

ماں، باپ اور گرو—ان تینوں کی خدمت و اطاعت ہی اعلیٰ ترین تپسیا کہی گئی ہے۔ جو شخص انہیں نظرانداز کر کے یا ان کی حد سے تجاوز کر کے کوئی کام کرے، وہ کبھی حقیقی طور پر کامیاب نہیں ہوتا۔

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• त्रयाणाम्: of the three
• त्रयाणाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural), संख्या-विशेषण (numeral adjective)

• शुश्रूषा: service, attentive attendance
• शुश्रूषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुश्रूषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उच्यते: is said, is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• अतिक्रम्य: having transgressed, having overstepped
• अतिक्रम्य: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्: that (result)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negative particle)

• सिद्ध्येत्: would succeed, would be accomplished
• सिद्ध्येत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सिध् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• कदाचन: ever, at any time
• कदाचन: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal indeclinable)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical Purāṇic frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble householder bows at the feet of mother, father, and seated guru; a faint aura of Kāśī’s ghāṭas and Viśvanātha spire in the background, suggesting that even in the holy city, siddhi depends on seva.

Characters & Entities

• mother
• father
• guru
• tapas
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest tapas is service to mother, father, and guru; neglecting them undermines all spiritual and worldly success.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī/Varanasi), where dharma is taught as integral to the sanctity of the place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śuśrūṣā (attentive service) is prescribed as a spiritual discipline, functioning like an austerity.