Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

वैश्या अपि च सेवंते न्यायोपार्जितसंपदः । धनानि साधुसात्कृत्वा प्रांते श्रीमणिकर्णिकाम्

Transliteration

vaiśyā api ca sevaṃte nyāyopārjitasaṃpadaḥ | dhanāni sādhusātkṛtvā prāṃte śrīmaṇikarṇikām

Translation

诸吠舍（Vaiśya）亦然，其财由正道所得；将资财以布施交付善人之后，临终仍归向光辉的圣摩尼迦耳尼迦。

Word by Word

• वैश्याः: Vaiśyas (merchant class)
• वैश्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (also)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction: and)

• सेवन्ते: serve, resort to
• सेवन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• न्यायोपार्जितसंपदः: whose wealth is earned righteously
• न्यायोपार्जितसंपदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: न्याय (प्रातिपदिक) + उपार्जित (कृदन्त; उप + अर्ज् + क्त) + संपद्/संपत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying वैश्या: ‘possessing wealth earned justly’)

• धनानि: wealth, riches
• धनानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• साधुसात्कृत्वा: having put to good use
• साधुसात्कृत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + सात् (अव्यय) + कृ (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (साधु + सात्) + क्त्वान्त-अव्यय; अर्थः ‘well/into good use having made’

• प्रान्ते: at the end/there
• प्रान्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• श्रीमणिकर्णिकाम्: Śrī-Maṇikarṇikā
• श्रीमणिकर्णिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + मणिकर्णिका)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; स्थाननाम

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śrī Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages / internal Kāśī interlocutors

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A merchant (vaiśya) with ledgers and cloth bundles offers coins, grain, and garments to sādhus and brāhmaṇas near the ghāṭa; behind him the Gaṅgā flows and the steps lead to Maṇikarṇikā, suggesting end-of-life renunciation.

Characters & Entities

• Maṇikarṇikā
• Kāśī (Varanasi)
• Vaiśya
• Sādhu
• Dāna (charity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous earning and generous charity prepare one to seek the liberating refuge of Maṇikarṇikā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śrī Maṇikarṇikā in Kāśī, approached especially at the end of life.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna—giving wealth to sādhus/the virtuous, along with living by righteous means (nyāya).