Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

मा देहीति च यो ब्रूयाद्गवाग्निब्राह्मणेषु च । तिर्यग्योनिशतं गत्वा चांडालेष्वभिजायते

Transliteration

mā dehīti ca yo brūyādgavāgnibrāhmaṇeṣu ca | tiryagyoniśataṃ gatvā cāṃḍāleṣvabhijāyate

Translation

Wer in Bezug auf Kühe, das heilige Feuer und die Brāhmaṇas sagt: „Gib nicht!“—nach hundert Geburten aus Tierleibern wird er unter den Caṇḍālas geboren.

Word by Word

• mā: do not
• mā: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle, esp. with optative/imperative sense)

• dehi: give
• dehi: Kriyā (Quoted speech/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• brūyāt: would say / should say
• brūyāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• gavāgni-brāhmaṇeṣu: among cows, fires, and Brahmins
• gavāgni-brāhmaṇeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (गवश्चाग्नयश्च ब्राह्मणाश्च)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• tiryag-yoni-śatam: a hundred animal births
• tiryag-yoni-śatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tiryak (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तिर्यग्योनिः + शतम् = a hundred (births) of animal-wombs)

• gatvā: having gone (through)
• gatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √gam (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• cāṃḍāleṣu: among Cāṇḍālas
• cāṃḍāleṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/state/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāṃḍāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• abhijāyate: is born (again)
• abhijāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor approaches a cow-shelter, a sacred fire altar, and a brāhmaṇa; a harsh figure says ‘mā dehi’ and is shown in a shadowed karmic vision of animal rebirths, contrasted with the luminous merit of giving in Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Agni
• Brāhmaṇa
• Gauḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Preventing righteous giving is a grave ethical fault with long karmic consequences; dharma protects generosity toward sacred supports of society.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī frames the teaching: the city’s māhātmya includes strict valuation of dāna and reverence to sacred institutions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A moral injunction: do not forbid giving/charity directed to cows, fire-rites, and Brāhmaṇas.