Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

मुसलोलूखले वैश्यं कंडयैनं पुनःपुनः । शूद्रं द्विजावमंतारं द्विजाग्रे मंचसेविनम्

Transliteration

musalolūkhale vaiśyaṃ kaṃḍayainaṃ punaḥpunaḥ | śūdraṃ dvijāvamaṃtāraṃ dvijāgre maṃcasevinam

Translation

In Musalolūkhala schabe und quäle den Vaiśya immer wieder. Und bestrafe den Śūdra, der die Zweimalgeborenen verhöhnt und in Gegenwart der Brāhmaṇas auf einer Liege sitzt.

Word by Word

• musala-olūkhale: in/with pestle and mortar
• musala-olūkhale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: musala (प्रातिपदिक) + ulūkhala/olūkhala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः ‘मुसले च उलूखले च’ (एकस्मिन् अधिकरणे)

• vaiśyam: a Vaiśya
• vaiśyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kaṃḍaya: scratch/irritate (him)
• kaṃḍaya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kaṇḍ (धातु) (causative/णिच्: kaṃḍaya-)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• enam: him
• enam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• punaḥ-punaḥ: again and again
• punaḥ-punaḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय) + punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (reduplicated adverb)

• śūdram: a Śūdra
• śūdram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dvija-avamantāram: one who insults Brahmins
• dvija-avamantāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + avamantṛ (प्रातिपदिक, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिकः from ava-√man ‘to disrespect’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (कर्म-तत्पुरुषः) ‘द्विजान् अवमन्यते’

• dvija-agre: in the presence of Brahmins
• dvija-agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः) ‘द्विजेषु अग्रे/समक्षम्’

• maṃca-sevinam: one addicted to/indulging in a couch/bed
• maṃca-sevinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃca (प्रातिपदिक) + sevin (प्रातिपदिक, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिकः from √sev ‘to serve/indulge’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (कर्म-तत्पुरुषः) ‘मञ्चं सेवते’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa, Skanda → Agastya dialogue context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A hell named Musalolūkhala appears as a vast mortar-and-pestle chamber; attendants scrape a suffering vaiśya repeatedly. Nearby, a śūdra who mocked dvijas is shown seated arrogantly on a couch before brāhmaṇas, then dragged down for punishment—an ethical ‘before/after’ contrast.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī
• Naraka
• Musalolūkhala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic dharma stresses maryādā (social-spiritual restraint) and respect; contempt and arrogance are shown as causes of downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is delivered within Kāśī’s sacred narrative setting; the verse itself is not a tirtha-stuti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a behavioral injunction framed via naraka imagery.