Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

वरं विषमपिप्राश्यं शिवस्वं नैव भक्षयेत् । विषमेकाकिनं हंति थिवस्वं पुत्रपौवकम्

Transliteration

varaṃ viṣamapiprāśyaṃ śivasvaṃ naiva bhakṣayet | viṣamekākinaṃ haṃti thivasvaṃ putrapauvakam

Translation

خيرٌ أن يبتلع المرءُ سُمًّا من أن يأكل ما هو ملكٌ لشيفا. فالسمّ يهلك آخذَه وحده؛ أمّا التعدّي على مال شيفا فيهلك المرءَ مع أبنائه وأحفاده.

Word by Word

• varam: better (it is)
• varam: Prayojaka (Preference marker/वाक्योपपादक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; ‘वरम्’ = ‘better (that...)’ (indeclinable-like usage)

• viṣam: poison
• viṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: even/also)

• prāśyam: to be eaten / to eat
• prāśyam: Kriya (Infinitival predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prāś (धातु) + ya (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्/यत्-अर्थक कृदन्त (gerundive/‘to be eaten’ or ‘(one may) eat’ in optative sense), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन—वाक्ये ‘(varam) ... prāśyam’ = ‘better to eat’

• śiva-svam: what belongs to Śiva (Śiva’s offerings/property)
• śiva-svam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: ‘शिवस्य स्वम्’ = ‘Śiva’s property/offerings’

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis particle)

• bhakṣayet: should eat
• bhakṣayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhakṣ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपदी

• viṣam: poison
• viṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ekākinam: a solitary person
• ekākinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekākin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• hanti: kills
• hanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदी

• śiva-svam: Śiva’s property/offerings
• śiva-svam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: ‘शिवस्य स्वम्’

• putra-pautrakam: (one’s) sons and grandsons
• putra-pautrakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक) + pautraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर): ‘पुत्राश्च पौत्राश्च’ (collective)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Śiva-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni (sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: on one side a person tempted by temple offerings; on the other, a skull-cup of poison—captioned by the verse’s stark comparison; behind, a Śiva-liṅga radiates austere authority.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• śiva-sva (property of Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Misappropriating Śiva’s offerings or temple property is portrayed as a grave offense with far-reaching karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Kāśī-kṣetra’s māhātmya context, emphasizing dharma around Śiva worship there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A strict prohibition: do not eat/appropriate śiva-sva (including nirmālya and other sacred belongings).