Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

न तादृशं भवेत्पापं मृगयावृत्तिकांक्षिणः । यादृशं भवति प्रेत्य लौल्यान्मांसोपसेविनः

Transliteration

na tādṛśaṃ bhavetpāpaṃ mṛgayāvṛttikāṃkṣiṇaḥ | yādṛśaṃ bhavati pretya laulyānmāṃsopasevinaḥ

Translation

Die Sünde dessen, der seinen Lebensunterhalt durch Jagd sucht, ist nicht so groß wie die Sünde, die nach dem Tod den trifft, der aus bloßer Gier und Begierde dem Fleischgenuss frönt.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• tādṛśam: such (of that kind)
• tādṛśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tādṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg)

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• mṛgayā: by hunting
• mṛgayā: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛgayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (instrumental in compound)

• vṛtti: livelihood
• vṛtti: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासाङ्ग (member of compound)

• kāṅkṣiṇaḥ: of one who desires hunting as livelihood
• kāṅkṣiṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṅkṣin (प्रातिपदिक; √kāṅkṣ (धातु) से)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; मृगयावृत्ति-काङ्क्षिन् = मृगयया वृत्तिं काङ्क्षति इति (one who desires livelihood by hunting)

• yādṛśam: such as (what kind)
• yādṛśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yādṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• bhavati: is/becomes
• bhavati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pretya: after death
• pretya: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-√i (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘प्रेत्य’ = प्र + इत्वा, ‘मृत्युम् अतिक्रम्य/परलोकं गत्वा’

• laulyāt: from greed/craving
• laulyāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

• māṃsa: meat
• māṃsa: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासाङ्ग

• upasevinaḥ: of one who indulges in meat
• upasevinaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upasevin (प्रातिपदिक; upa-√sev (धातु) से)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; māṃsa-upasevin = मांसम् उपसेवते इति (one who indulges in meat)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī turns away from a meat-stall, reflecting on death and the afterlife; in the background rise ghāṭas, the Gaṅgā, and the spires of Viśvanātha, emphasizing restraint amid worldly temptations.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intent matters in karma: indulgence driven by greed creates heavier demerit than harsh livelihood-compulsion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this verse itself is an ethical teaching rather than a site-specific praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it offers a moral grading of actions based on motive (greed vs. livelihood).