Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

योषितां जारसक्तानां नरके यमकिंकराः । संतप्तलोहपरिघं क्षिपंति स्मरमंदिरे

Transliteration

yoṣitāṃ jārasaktānāṃ narake yamakiṃkarāḥ | saṃtaptalohaparighaṃ kṣipaṃti smaramaṃdire

Translation

In der Hölle schleudern Yamas Diener glühend rote Eisenkeulen auf Frauen, die an unerlaubten Liebhabern hängen—im „Haus des Kāma“, der Qual, die aus Begierde geboren ist.

Word by Word

• yoṣitām: of women
• yoṣitām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoṣit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• jāra-saktānām: of those attached to a paramour
• jāra-saktānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jāra (प्रातिपदिक) + sakta (कृदन्त; √sañj/सञ्ज् ‘to cling, be attached’)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिवत् विशेषण-प्रयोगः; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (जारसक्त = जारे सक्त)

• narake: in hell
• narake: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• yama-kiṃkarāḥ: Yama’s servants
• yama-kiṃkarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + kiṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (यमस्य किंकराः)

• saṃtapta-loha-parigham: a red-hot iron club/bar
• saṃtapta-loha-parigham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃtapta (कृदन्त; √tap/तप् ‘to heat’) + loha (प्रातिपदिक) + parigha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (संतप्तः लोहपरिघः / संतप्तलोहस्य परिघः)

• kṣipanti: they throw/cast
• kṣipanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṣip (क्षिप्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमा-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• smara-mandire: in the temple/abode of Kāma (Smara)
• smara-mandire: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: smara (प्रातिपदिक) + mandira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (स्मरस्य मन्दिरम्)

Speaker

Purāṇika (a Purāṇic reciter/teacher, as implied by the next verse)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A woman (unnamed) and the assembled audience; addressed indirectly through narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grim infernal court: Yamakiṅkaras (Yama’s attendants) hurl glowing iron clubs at a terrified figure within a ‘Smara-mandira’—a symbolic chamber of lust turned into torment; flames, iron, and shadowed architecture dominate.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Smara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sexual misconduct (jāra-sakti) is portrayed as dharma-violating and leads to severe karmic suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is praised in this verse; it is a dharma-teaching heard during the Gokarṇa visit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it functions as a deterrent teaching encouraging restraint and repentance.