Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

सुखं हि सर्वैराकांक्ष्यं तच्च धर्मसमुद्भवम् । तस्माद्धर्मोत्र कर्तव्यश्चातुर्वर्ण्येन यत्नतः

Transliteration

sukhaṃ hi sarvairākāṃkṣyaṃ tacca dharmasamudbhavam | tasmāddharmotra kartavyaścāturvarṇyena yatnataḥ

Translation

Hạnh phúc quả thật là điều mọi người đều mong cầu, và nó phát sinh từ dharma. Vì thế, trong đời này, cả bốn varṇa hãy gắng sức thực hành dharma.

Word by Word

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/Reason marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), निश्चय/हेतु

• सर्वैः: by all
• सर्वैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; ‘by all (people)’

• आकाङ्क्ष्यम्: is to be desired
• आकाङ्क्ष्यम्: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + काङ्क्ष् (धातु) + यत् (कृत्)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/fit to be desired), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘to be desired’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• धर्मसमुद्भवम्: arising from dharma
• धर्मसमुद्भवम्: Kriya (Predicate adjective/विशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (धर्मात् समुद्भवम्)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे ‘therefore/from that’

• धर्मः: dharma
• धर्मः: Karma (Object of obligation/कर्तव्यस्य कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उत्र: here
• उत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (locative adverb) ‘here’

• कर्तव्यः: should be practiced/done
• कर्तव्यः: Kriya (Obligation/विधेय-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘should be done’

• चातुर्वर्ण्येन: by the fourfold social order
• चातुर्वर्ण्येन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्वर्ण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (चतुर् + वर्ण) + य-प्रत्यय (collective)

• यत्नतः: diligently
• यत्नतः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्नतः (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्या/प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb) ‘with effort’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic Kāśī scene showing four representative figures (brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra) each performing dharmic acts—teaching/ritual, protection/justice, trade with honesty/charity, service with devotion—converging at Viśveśvara temple and Gaṅgā ghāṭs, symbolizing shared pursuit of sukha through dharma.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True happiness is dharma-born; therefore disciplined dharma-practice is urged as a universal social-spiritual duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter is within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī/Vārāṇasī sacred landscape), though this verse is a general dharma exhortation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single ritual is specified; it prescribes earnest practice of dharma according to one’s station (cāturvarṇya).