Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

यः स्वार्थं मांसपचनं कुरुते पापमोहितः । यावंत्यस्य तु रोमाणि तावत्स नरके वसेत्

Transliteration

yaḥ svārthaṃ māṃsapacanaṃ kurute pāpamohitaḥ | yāvaṃtyasya tu romāṇi tāvatsa narake vaset

Translation

Wer, vom Sündenwahn betört, Fleisch zu eigenem Genuss kocht, wird in der Hölle so viele Jahre wohnen, wie Haare an seinem Leib sind.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• स्वार्थम्: one’s own benefit
• स्वार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (for one’s own purpose)

• मांसपचनम्: cooking of meat
• मांसपचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक) + पचन (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from पच्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (cooking of meat)

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• पापमोहितः: deluded by sin
• पापमोहितः: Visheshana (Qualifier of यः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + मोहित (कृदन्त, क्त from मुह्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (deluded by sin)

• यावन्ति: as many as
• यावन्ति: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक (as many as)

• अस्य: of him
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• रोमाणि: hairs
• रोमाणि: Karta (Subject of implied ‘are’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तावत्: that many
• तावत्: Visheshana (Quantifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (so much/that many)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• वसेत्: would dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark moral tableau: a person cooking meat for pleasure is juxtaposed with a symbolic counting of body-hairs as years, and a distant vision of naraka—serving as a deterrent within a Kāśī teaching setting.

Characters & Entities

• naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Violence done for selfish enjoyment yields severe karmic retribution; dharma demands restraint and compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī discourse; it supports the moral purity associated with the sacred city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A moral prohibition (niṣedha): do not cook meat for selfish ends; no positive ritual is specified.