Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

कुलधर्मं व्यपास्यैष वर्तते कुलपांसनः । चिरं चिंतितमद्यामुं घातयिष्याम्यसंशयम्

Transliteration

kuladharmaṃ vyapāsyaiṣa vartate kulapāṃsanaḥ | ciraṃ ciṃtitamadyāmuṃ ghātayiṣyāmyasaṃśayam

Translation

‘কুলধর্ম ত্যাগ করে এই কুলাঙ্গার নিজের ইচ্ছামতো আচরণ করছে। আজ নিঃসন্দেহে আমি একে হত্যা করব, যা আমি দীর্ঘকাল ধরে চিন্তা করেছি।’

Word by Word

• कुल-धर्मम्: family duty; clan law
• कुल-धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘family’s duty’

• व्यपास्य: having abandoned
• व्यपास्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अप + अस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having cast aside/abandoned’

• एषः: this man
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• वर्तते: behaves; acts
• वर्तते: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• कुल-पांसनः: family-disgrace; defiler of the clan
• कुल-पांसनः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक) + पांसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘defiler of the family’

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal adverb/काल-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिर (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण), adverb of time

• चिन्तितम्: planned; thought out
• चिन्तितम्: Karma (Object as ‘that which was planned’/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here as predicate/‘planned’

• अद्य: today; now
• अद्य: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal adverb/काल-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक), adverb ‘today/now’

• अमुम्: that man (him)
• अमुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; pronoun ‘that (yonder) one’

• घातयिष्यामि: I will have (him) killed
• घातयिष्यामि: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: घातय् (णिच् causative of हन्) (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; causative ‘I will cause to be killed’

• असंशयम्: without doubt
• असंशयम्: Kriya-viseshana (Modal adverb/भाव-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: असंशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक), adverb ‘without doubt’

Speaker

Tārākṣa (deduced from narrative continuity)

Characters & Entities

• Tārākṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma is abandoned, relationships degrade into suspicion and violence; inner resentment matures into destructive action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Kāśī in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, but this verse itself is a dialogue of intent rather than a tirtha-glorification line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it portrays a moral crisis and a vow of harm, functioning as a negative example.