Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

न वाजपेयावभृथे स्नातो लोभवशादहम् । इह जन्मनि चान्यस्मिन्बहुमृष्टान्नपानदे

Transliteration

na vājapeyāvabhṛthe snāto lobhavaśādaham | iha janmani cānyasminbahumṛṣṭānnapānade

Translation

لالچ کے زیرِ اثر میں نے واجپَیَ یَجْن کے اختتامی اَوَبھرتھ اسنان میں غسل نہیں کیا۔ اور نہ اس جنم میں، نہ کسی اور جنم میں، میں نے نفیس و وافر اناج اور مشروب کا سخی دان کرنے والا بننا اختیار کیا۔

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• vājapeyāvabhṛthe: at the Vājapeya’s avabhṛtha (final bath)
• vājapeyāvabhṛthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vājapeya (प्रातिपदिक) + avabhṛtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वाजपेयस्य अवभृथः (concluding bath of the Vājapeya rite)

• snātaḥ: (I) bathed / having bathed
• snātaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे 'having bathed'

• lobhavaśāt: out of greed
• lobhavaśāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lobha (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; लोभस्य वशः (under the control of greed)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• janmani: in (this) birth
• janmani: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• anyasmin: in another
• anyasmin: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (in another)

• bahumṛṣṭānnapānade: as a giver of abundant refined food and drink
• bahumṛṣṭānnapānade: Adhikarana (State/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + mṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक) + pāna (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहूनि मृष्टानि अन्नपानानि ददाति इति (giver of much fine food and drink)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim recalls a Vedic sacrifice scene with a distant yajña-vedi and priests; foreground shows empty hands and a closed granary, symbolizing withheld food-gifts.

Characters & Entities

• Vājapeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed blocks both ritual completion and compassionate generosity; dharma is fulfilled by purity (snāna) and nourishment-giving (anna-dāna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching setting of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, but the verse focuses on yajña-rites and charity rather than a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avabhṛtha-snāna connected with the Vājapeya yajña, and the virtue of giving plentiful food and drink (anna-pāna-dāna).