Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

परदारमुखाघ्रातुर्मुखे निष्ठीवयास्य हि । वक्तुः परापवादस्य कीलं तीक्ष्णं मुखे क्षिप

Transliteration

paradāramukhāghrāturmukhe niṣṭhīvayāsya hi | vaktuḥ parāpavādasya kīlaṃ tīkṣṇaṃ mukhe kṣipa

Translation

Spuckt in das Gesicht dessen, der den Duft des Mundes einer fremden Frau sucht. Und in den Mund dessen, der Verleumdungen über andere spricht, stoßt einen scharfen Pflock.

Word by Word

• परदार-मुख-आघ्रातुः: of the smeller of another’s wife’s face
• परदार-मुख-आघ्रातुः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + दार (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक) + आघ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; आघ्रातृ = कर्तरि-तृन् (one who smells)

• मुखे: in the mouth/face
• मुखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निष्ठीवय: spit!
• निष्ठीवय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + स्थीव् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

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

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• वक्तुः: of the speaker
• वक्तुः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वच् (धातु) + तृ (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि-तृन् (speaker)

• पर-अपवादस्य: of slander of others
• पर-अपवादस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + अपवाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कीलम्: a nail/spike
• कीलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तीक्ष्णम्: sharp
• तीक्ष्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘कीलम्’

• मुखे: in the mouth
• मुखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• क्षिप: throw/insert!
• क्षिप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral-judicial image focused on the mouth: one offender is spat upon for lustful transgression; another has a sharp peg driven into the mouth for slander—symbolizing the violent recoil of corrupt speech.

Characters & Entities

• Paradāra (another’s spouse)
• Apavāda (slander)
• Kīla (peg/spike)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma governs both desire and speech: lustful trespass and malicious slander are portrayed as spiritually corrosive and karmically costly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context is Kāśī, though the verse emphasizes ethical discipline rather than site-glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it is a niṣedha-oriented ethical warning about restraint and truthful speech.