Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

कृमिभक्ष्ये देवद्वेष्टा कृमिशे तु दुरिष्टकृत् । पितृदेवात्पूर्वमश्रल्लांलाभक्ष्ये प्रयाति च

Transliteration

kṛmibhakṣye devadveṣṭā kṛmiśe tu duriṣṭakṛt | pitṛdevātpūrvamaśrallāṃlābhakṣye prayāti ca

Translation

مبغِضُ الآلهة يذهب إلى «Kṛmibhakṣya»؛ ومن أقامَ قربانًا شريرًا يذهب إلى «Kṛmiśa». ومن أكل قبل أن يقدّم على الوجه اللائق للـ«Pitṛs» (الأسلاف) وللـ«Devas» يذهب إلى «Lāṃlābhakṣya».

Word by Word

• कृमिभक्ष्ये: in Kṛmibhakṣya (worm-food hell)
• कृमिभक्ष्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि + भक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कृमेः भक्ष्यम्)

• देवद्वेष्टा: hater of the gods
• देवद्वेष्टा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + द्वेष्टृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवान् द्वेष्टि)

• कृमिशे: in Kṛmiśa (a hell)
• कृमिशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमिश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; नरक-नाम/स्थाननिर्देश

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle)

• दुरिष्टकृत्: doer of evil rites
• दुरिष्टकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरिष्ट + कृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (दुरिष्टं करोति)

• पितृदेवात्: from (the duty to) ancestors and gods
• पितृदेवात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व (पितरः च देवाः च)

• पूर्वम्: before
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• अश्रत्: did not have faith / disbelieved
• अश्रत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रद्/श्रद्धा (धातु/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist/Imperfect-like), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; (पाठदोष-सम्भावना) ‘अश्रद्धत्/अश्रद्दधात्’ इत्यर्थे

• लांलाभक्ष्ये: in Lāṃlābhakṣya (a hell)
• लांलाभक्ष्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लांला + भक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लांलायाः भक्ष्यम्) ; नरक-नाम (पाठदुर्लभ)

• प्रयाति: goes
• प्रयाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

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

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative convention)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/seekers

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Underworld scenes dominated by crawling worms: Kṛmibhakṣya as a pit where worms consume the deva-hater; Kṛmiśa as a swamp of worms for the corrupt sacrificer; Lāṃlābhakṣya as a grotesque feast where the offender is forced to eat foul remnants while offerings to Pitṛs/Devas remain untouched in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Deva
• Pitṛ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires reverence to Devas and Pitṛs and purity in rites; hatred and ritual misuse degrade the soul.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is specified; the emphasis is on śrāddha and yajña conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied prescription: do not eat before duly offering to Pitṛs and Devas; perform sacrifices correctly (sat-iṣṭi).