Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

काश्यां तु यत्कृतं पापं तत्पैशाचपदप्रदम् । प्रमादात्पातकं कृत्वा शंभोरानंदकानने

Transliteration

kāśyāṃ tu yatkṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tatpaiśācapadapradam | pramādātpātakaṃ kṛtvā śaṃbhorānaṃdakānane

Translation

Doch die in Kāśī begangene Sünde verleiht den Zustand eines Piśāca. Wenn man aus Unachtsamkeit in Śambhus Ānanda-kānana (Wald der Wonne) ein schweres Vergehen begeht…

Word by Word

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक (contrast/emphasis)

• यत्: which/whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• कृतम्: done/committed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'यत्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• पैशाचपदप्रदम्: granting the state/position of a piśāca
• पैशाचपदप्रदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paiśāca (प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'तत्/पापम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (paiśācasya padaṃ dadāti iti)

• प्रमादात्: from negligence/through heedlessness
• प्रमादात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pramāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (cause)

• पातकम्: a grave sin
• पातकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Adverbial action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tvā (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• शंभोः: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• शंभोः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śambhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• आनंदकानने: in the Ānandakānana grove
• आनंदकानने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānanda-kānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ānandasya kānanam)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānanda-kānana (within Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī’s sacred grove (Ānanda-kānana) commits a heedless transgression; the atmosphere turns ominous as piśāca-state is warned, while Śiva’s presence looms as moral witness.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Ānanda-kānana
• piśāca

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places intensify moral accountability; wrongdoing in Kāśī is treated as especially grievous in consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānanda-kānana of Śiva within Kāśī is highlighted as exceptionally sacred and ethically demanding.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No positive rite is prescribed; the verse functions as a dharmic warning against pramāda (negligence) and pātaka in Kāśī.