Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । न कौलीन्यं न सद्वृत्तं महत्त्वाय प्रकल्पते । एकमेव पदं श्रेयः पदभ्रंशो हि लाघवम्

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | na kaulīnyaṃ na sadvṛttaṃ mahattvāya prakalpate | ekameva padaṃ śreyaḥ padabhraṃśo hi lāghavam

Translation

斯坎达说道：高贵出身与良好品行，单凭其一并不能成就真正的伟大。于善道上稳立一步即为吉祥；而从本位滑落，实为卑下。

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — निषेध-निपात

• कौलीन्यम्: noble lineage
• कौलीन्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौलीन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — निषेध-निपात

• सद्वृत्तम्: good conduct
• सद्वृत्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् + वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular) — ‘सद् वृत्तम्’ इति कर्मधारय

• महत्त्वाय: for greatness
• महत्त्वाय: Sampradana (Purpose/Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रकल्पते: suffices, leads (to)
• प्रकल्पते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-कल्प् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• एव: alone, indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अवधारण-निपात

• पदम्: a step, position
• पदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• श्रेयः: better, superior
• श्रेयः: Visheshana (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular) — तुलनात्मक-प्रातिपदिक (comparative)

• पदभ्रंशः: a fall from position
• पदभ्रंशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद + भ्रंश (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular) — ‘पदस्य भ्रंशः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक-निपात (indeed/for)

• लाघवम्: lowliness, insignificance
• लाघवम्: Visheshya (Predicate noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda as teacher—youthful, radiant, spear in hand yet serene—addressing listeners with calm authority; behind him, Kāśī’s ghats and a Śiva-liṅga motif suggesting dharmic anchoring.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greatness is protected by steadfast dharma, not by pedigree; even one genuine step in righteousness outweighs status without stability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī setting, emphasizing Kāśī as a seat of dharma-teaching rather than naming a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a moral injunction about maintaining one’s dharmic ‘position’ without falling into lowness.