Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

पुत्रस्य पित्रोः पदयोः पूजनं देवपूजनम् । उपवासो व्रतं तीर्थं देवताराधनं परम्

Transliteration

putrasya pitroḥ padayoḥ pūjanaṃ devapūjanam | upavāso vrataṃ tīrthaṃ devatārādhanaṃ param

Translation

بیٹے کے لیے ماں باپ کے قدموں کی پوجا ہی دیوتاؤں کی پوجا ہے۔ روزہ اس کا ورت ہے، وہی اس کی تیرتھ یاترا ہے، اور وہی ربّانی حقیقت کی اعلیٰ ترین عبادت ہے۔

Word by Word

• putrasya: of the son
• putrasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• pitroḥ: of the two parents (father and mother)
• pitroḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन

• padayoḥ: of the two feet
• padayoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive or 7th/Locative), द्विवचन; अत्र षष्ठी (of the two feet)

• pūjanam: worship
• pūjanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjana (प्रातिपदिक) < √pūj (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• deva-pūjanam: worship of the gods
• deva-pūjanam: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासेन विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः (equative apposition)

• upavāsaḥ: fasting
• upavāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vratam: a vow
• vratam: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tīrtham: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• devatā-ārādhanam: propitiation/worship of the deity
• devatā-ārādhanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक) + ārādhana (प्रातिपदिक) < ā√radh (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• param: supreme
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying devatā-ārādhanam)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (ethical tīrtha within Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A son bows to and worships the feet of his parents in a simple home shrine setting; nearby, a small lamp and flowers indicate that this act itself is deva-pūjā; a fasting devotee sits with japa-mālā, serene.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service and reverence to one’s parents is elevated as a direct form of divine worship and the highest sacred practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s greatness is shown through its dharmic standard: inner purity and duty are treated as true tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upavāsa (fasting) is praised as a vrata, equated with pilgrimage and deity-worship when grounded in dharma.