Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अदत्तदानः पिशुनः शिश्नोदरपरायणः । किं बहूक्तेन रविज साक्षात्पातक मूर्तिमान्

Transliteration

adattadānaḥ piśunaḥ śiśnodaraparāyaṇaḥ | kiṃ bahūktena ravija sākṣātpātaka mūrtimān

Translation

Er gab keine Almosen, war ein Verleumder und hing nur an Wollust und Bauch. Was braucht es mehr Worte, o Sohn der Sonne? Er war die Sünde selbst, leibhaftig und sichtbar.

Word by Word

• अदत्तदानः: one who gives no gifts
• अदत्तदानः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + दत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिः (अदत्तं दानं यस्य); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

• पिशुनः: malicious, slanderous
• पिशुनः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पिशुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

• शिश्न: genitals
• शिश्न: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिश्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (समासपूर्वपदत्वेन)

• उदर: belly
• उदर: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (समासपूर्वपदत्वेन)

• परायणः: devoted to, intent on
• परायणः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; (परं अयनं यस्य/परायणः) ‘devoted to’

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative particle)

• बहूक्तेन: by many words, with much talk
• बहूक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (बहु उक्तम् = much said)

• रविज: O son of the Sun
• रविज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (रवेः जः = born of the Sun); पुल्लिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन

• साक्षात्: directly, manifestly
• साक्षात्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साक्षात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रत्यक्षार्थक/निश्चयार्थक (directly, manifestly)

• पातक: sin, crime
• पातक: Karta (Predicate nominative/प्रथमा-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; ‘मूर्तिमान्’ इत्यस्य विशेष्यरूपेण

• मूर्तिमान्: embodied, having form
• मूर्तिमान्: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + मतुप् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: मतुपन्त-विशेषण; पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ravija (Sūrya-putra; likely Yama in dharma narrative address)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A judge-like moment in narration: the sinner stands exposed as 'sin embodied'—empty hands (no charity), a forked tongue motif (slander), and symbols of lust and gluttony (belly, bed, overflowing dishes) surrounding him; a distant solar emblem hints at 'Ravija'.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Ravija (son of the Sun; likely Yama/Dharmarāja by epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A life without charity, ruled by slander and sensual appetite, is portrayed as the very embodiment of pāpa (sin).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger work-section is Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī), but this verse is moral characterization, not tīrtha glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implicitly praises dāna (charitable giving) by condemning its absence.