Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

परापवादशीलेन परदाराभिलाषिणा । तेन काशी न संसेव्या क्व काशी निरयः क्व सः

Transliteration

parāpavādaśīlena paradārābhilāṣiṇā | tena kāśī na saṃsevyā kva kāśī nirayaḥ kva saḥ

Translation

Wer andere verleumdet und nach der Frau eines anderen begehrt, soll weder in Kāśī wohnen noch dort Zuflucht suchen. Was hat Kāśī mit der Hölle zu schaffen – und was hat ein solcher Mensch mit Kāśī zu schaffen?

Word by Word

• para-apavāda-śīlena: by one whose habit is slandering others
• para-apavāda-śīlena: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + apavāda (प्रातिपदिक) + śīla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (para-apavāda in sense 'slandering others' + śīla 'habit')

• para-dāra-abhilāṣiṇā: by one who desires others’ wives
• para-dāra-abhilāṣiṇā: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + dāra (प्रातिपदिक) + abhilāṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (parānāṃ dārān abhilāṣī)

• tena: by him; by such a person
• tena: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kāśī: Kāśī
• kāśī: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात

• saṃsevyā: to be resorted to; to be frequented
• saṃsevyā: Vidheya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-√sev (धातु) + ya (यत्/ण्यत्; gerundive) → saṃsevya (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (gerundive: 'to be resorted to/served'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (kāśī)

• kva: where?
• kva: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक देशवाचक (interrogative adverb: where?)

• kāśī: Kāśī
• kāśī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• nirayaḥ: hell
• nirayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• kva: where?
• kva: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक (where?)

• saḥ: he; that (person)
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Kāśī’s sacred threshold, the unfit—marked by slanderous speech and illicit desire—are turned away; the city’s purity stands in stark contrast to the darkness of such vices, underscoring that Kāśī and ‘hell-bound conduct’ do not mix.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Niraya (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is for purification and liberation; slander and adultery are incompatible with its dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), contrasted with niraya to highlight its liberating character.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual; it is an eligibility/behavioral rule: those indulging in slander and adultery should not resort to Kāśī.