Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

योनिं गतास्त्वसंख्याताः संख्यातानामशोभनाः । प्रापिता यमलोकं तु सुघोरैर्यमकिंकरैः

Transliteration

yoniṃ gatāstvasaṃkhyātāḥ saṃkhyātānāmaśobhanāḥ | prāpitā yamalokaṃ tu sughorairyamakiṃkaraiḥ

Translation

Unzählige Wesen sind in verschiedenste Leiber eingegangen, unerquicklich unter den Zählbaren; und sie wurden von Yamas überaus furchterregenden Dienern in Yamas Reich gebracht.

Word by Word

• योनिम्: womb/birth
• योनिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गताः: have gone (entered)
• गताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्रियार्थे ‘gone’

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक/विरोधार्थक अव्यय

• असंख्याताः: countless
• असंख्याताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-संख्यात (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + संख्यात)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; नञ्-समास; विशेषण

• संख्यातानाम्: of the numbered (ones)
• संख्यातानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्यात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; ‘of the counted/numbered’

• अशोभनाः: inauspicious/ugly
• अशोभनाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-शोभन (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + शोभन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• प्रापिताः: were brought
• प्रापिताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) → प्रापित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative sense): ‘made to reach/brought’

• यमलोकम्: to Yama’s world
• यमलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम-लोक (प्रातिपदिक; यम + लोक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक अव्यय

• सुघोरैः: by very terrible
• सुघोरैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-घोर (प्रातिपदिक; सु + घोर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• यमकिंकरैः: by Yama’s attendants
• यमकिंकरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम-किंकर (प्रातिपदिक; यम + किंकर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Frame audience (ṛṣis/pilgrims)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic procession: Yamadūtas with terrifying forms escorting souls toward Yamaloka, while a distant luminous Kāśī/Śiva symbol suggests an alternate destiny through sacred connection.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamaloka
• Yamakiṅkaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions have consequences across rebirth and afterlife; the text evokes Yama’s justice to inspire dharmic living and compassionate rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s setting is the Kāśī–Gaṅgā milieu, where rites are described as potent even for those in Yamaloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly supports making offerings with awareness of beings suffering in Yama’s domain and across difficult births.