Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

हवनं ब्राह्मणमुखे यत्करोमि द्विजोत्तम । मन्ये क्रतुक्रियाभ्योपि तद्विशिष्टं महामते

Transliteration

havanaṃ brāhmaṇamukhe yatkaromi dvijottama | manye kratukriyābhyopi tadviśiṣṭaṃ mahāmate

Translation

اے افضلِ دِوِج! میں جو ہون کی آہوتی برہمن کے مُنہ میں دیتا ہوں، اے صاحبِ حکمت، میں اسے بڑے یَجْیوں کی رسموں اور کرتوکریاؤں سے بھی برتر سمجھتا ہوں۔

Word by Word

• हवनम्: oblation; act of offering (homa)
• हवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular)

• ब्राह्मणमुखे: in the mouth of a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणमुखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्राह्मणस्य मुखम्)

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• करोमि: I do; I perform
• करोमि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present Indicative, 1st person, Singular)

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular); कर्मधारय (उत्तमः द्विजः)

• मन्ये: I think; I consider
• मन्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Present Indicative, 1st person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

• क्रतुक्रियाभ्यः: than ritual-actions (of sacrifices)
• क्रतुक्रियाभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Feminine, Ablative, Plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्रतोः क्रियाः)

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (particle: even/also)

• तत्: that (this act)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); निर्देश (demonstrative)

• विशिष्टम्: superior; distinguished
• विशिष्टम्: Karta-predicative (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशिष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √शिष्/√शास्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); भूतकृदन्त/कर्मणि-प्रयोग (past participle: distinguished)

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मह (प्रातिपदिक) + मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular); कर्मधारय (महती मतिः यस्य)

Speaker

A dharmaśīla king (addressing a Brāhmaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharmic king reverently offers food and gifts into the ‘mouth’ of a seated Brāhmaṇa, treating him as the sacred fire; attendants hold vessels of ghee, grains, and dakṣiṇā while the city of Kāśī glows in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Havana (oblation)
• Kratu (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate giving—especially feeding the worthy—is portrayed as a living sacrifice surpassing ceremonial rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse arises in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered dharma discourse, though it does not name a specific ghat or shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Brāhmaṇa-bhojana (feeding Brāhmaṇas) is framed as ‘havana’—an oblation offered into a sacred ‘fire’.