Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

अग्रे माहिषिकं दृष्ट्वा मध्ये च वृषलीपतिम् । अंते वार्धुषिकं चैव निराशाः पितरो गताः

Transliteration

agre māhiṣikaṃ dṛṣṭvā madhye ca vṛṣalīpatim | aṃte vārdhuṣikaṃ caiva nirāśāḥ pitaro gatāḥ

Translation

Wenn die Pitṛs zu Beginn einen māhiṣika sehen, in der Mitte den Gatten einer vṛṣalī und am Ende einen vārdhuṣika, gehen sie enttäuscht davon.

Word by Word

• अग्रे: in front / at the beginning
• अग्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (locative adverbial)

• माहिषिकम्: a māhiṣika (one who desires an adulterous woman)
• माहिषिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहिषिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• वृषलीपतिम्: husband of a śūdra woman
• वृषलीपतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषली (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (वृषल्याः पतिः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अन्ते: at the end
• अन्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे

• वार्धुषिकम्: a profiteer/usurer
• वार्धुषिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धुषिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• निराशाः: hopeless / disappointed
• निराशाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निराश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (पितरः)

• पितरः: forefathers
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (पितृ-शब्दः)

• गताः: went / departed
• गताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) प्रयुक्तः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; लुप्त-कोपुला (गताः = have gone)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting by a Kāśī ghāṭ: offerings laid out; three symbolic figures appear at beginning, middle, end; translucent Pitṛs rise and depart with sorrowful faces; the performer looks distressed.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• māhiṣika
• vṛṣalī
• vārdhuṣika

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pitṛ-satisfaction depends on the purity of setting and participants; association with immoral or exploitative persons obstructs ancestral rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching appears in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa (Vārāṇasī’s sacred dharma context), emphasizing correct conduct in rites rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied śrāddha/offerings etiquette: avoid beginning/middle/end contamination of the rite by presence/association with such persons, lest the Pitṛs depart unsatisfied.