Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

प्रोक्तोथ बहुशश्चेति बहुमानपुरःसरम् । तथा त्वमपि माकार्षीर्यथा प्राक्प्रस्थितैः कृतम्

Transliteration

proktotha bahuśaśceti bahumānapuraḥsaram | tathā tvamapi mākārṣīryathā prākprasthitaiḥ kṛtam

Translation

“此事确已多次宣说。”他以恭敬为先而发言，“因此你也不可另作他为；当如先行者昔日所行。”

Word by Word

• प्रोक्तः: was said / spoken
• प्रोक्तः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'having been said/spoken'

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (particle)

• बहुशः: many times
• बहुशः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आवृत्तिवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of frequency)

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

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• बहुमानपुरःसरम्: with great respect (as a preface)
• बहुमानपुरःसरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुमान-पुरःसर (प्रातिपदिक; बहुमान + पुरःसर)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण प्रयुक्तम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — 'with respect/preceded by honor' (adverbial accusative)

• तथा: in the same way
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: in that manner)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), प्रथमा, एकवचन — 2nd person pronoun, nominative singular

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपेक्षासूचक (particle: also/even)

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratishedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (prohibitive particle)

• अकार्षीः: you should do / you did
• अकार्षीः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/अद्यतनभूत), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् — 'you did/made' (here under prohibition with मा)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/just as)

• प्राक्: formerly
• प्राक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb: formerly)

• प्रस्थितैः: by those who had departed
• प्रस्थितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-स्था (धातु) → प्रस्थित (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Instrumental plural 'by those who had set out'

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — 'done/made' (predicate)

Speaker

Skanda (narrative voice; internal speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A respectful admonition is delivered with honor: the speaker gestures gently, indicating the path taken by earlier travelers, evoking the continuity of tradition within Kāśī’s sacred precincts.

Characters & Entities

• implied teacher/elder instruction
• prior travelers/precedents

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is safeguarded by respectful adherence to established righteous precedent (ācāra) rather than impulsive novelty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī setting continues implicitly; the verse itself stresses conduct rather than naming a tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it prescribes conformity to approved practice (‘as earlier ones did’).