Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

स्थिरापायः सदा कायो न धनं निधनेऽवति । तन्मूढः प्रौढकार्ये किं न यतेत भवानिव

Transliteration

sthirāpāyaḥ sadā kāyo na dhanaṃ nidhane'vati | tanmūḍhaḥ prauḍhakārye kiṃ na yateta bhavāniva

Translation

Thân này luôn hướng về hoại diệt, và của cải chẳng che chở được khi tử thần đến. Vậy cớ sao kẻ mê muội lại không nỗ lực vì mục đích đại sự chân thật—như chính ngươi đã làm?

Word by Word

• स्थिरापायः: having certain destruction / surely perishing
• स्थिरापायः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थिर (प्रातिपदिक) + अपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; adjective)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• कायः: body
• कायः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

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

• धनम्: wealth
• धनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• निधने: at death/in destruction
• निधने: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• अवति: protects/saves
• अवति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अव् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• तत्: therefore/then
• तत्: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपातवत् निर्देश (correlative particle: then/therefore)

• मूढः: a deluded (person)
• मूढः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; adjective used substantively)

• प्रौढकार्ये: in serious/important duty
• प्रौढकार्ये: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रौढ (प्रातिपदिक) + कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• किम्: why
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle: why?)

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

• यतेत: should strive
• यतेत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √यत् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Optative, Ātmanepada, 3rd person, Singular)

• भवान्: you (honorific)
• भवान्: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनामवत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Honorific pronoun-like noun; Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• इव: like/as
• इव: Upama (Comparison marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle)

Speaker

Dharmarāja (Yama)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / implied pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A person holding coins and ornaments watches them slip through fingers as a funeral pyre is seen in the distance; the same person turns toward a Śiva shrine and Gaṅgā, symbolizing the ‘great aim’.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja (Yama)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Recognize mortality: since body and wealth fail at death, one should pursue the highest dharmic and liberating goal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No individual tīrtha is named; it belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered discourse on liberation and right striving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it urges purposeful striving (prayatna) toward the ‘great work’—dharma and liberation.