Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

अस्थिध्वजांकितं दृष्ट्वा यथा पांथा जलाशयम् । दूरं यंति तथा भस्म भालांकं यमकिंकराः

Transliteration

asthidhvajāṃkitaṃ dṛṣṭvā yathā pāṃthā jalāśayam | dūraṃ yaṃti tathā bhasma bhālāṃkaṃ yamakiṃkarāḥ

Translation

Wie Wanderer, die beim Anblick eines Wegzeichens zu einem Wasserbecken von ferne dorthin ziehen, so weichen auch Yamas Diener weit zurück, sobald sie die Stirn mit heiliger Asche gezeichnet sehen.

Word by Word

• अस्थिध्वजाङ्कितम्: marked with a bone-banner emblem
• अस्थिध्वजाङ्कितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्कित (कृदन्त, √अङ्क्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (अस्थिना ध्वजेन अङ्कितम्) विशेषण (भालाङ्कम्)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having seen’

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle)

• पान्थाः: travelers
• पान्थाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पान्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• जलाशयम्: water-reservoir/pond
• जलाशयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (जलस्य आशयः)

• दूरम्: far away
• दूरम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• तथा: so/in the same way
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यतावाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• भस्म: ash
• भस्म: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (here used appositionally as qualifier)

• भालाङ्कम्: forehead-mark
• भालाङ्कम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाल (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भालस्य अङ्कः/अङ्कनम्)

• यमकिंकराः: servants of Yama
• यमकिंकराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + किंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यमस्य किंकराः)

Speaker

Tapasvī/Muni (unnamed)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka-ādi ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: on one side, travelers spot a sign for a water reservoir and move toward it; on the other, Yama’s attendants spot the ash-marked forehead and move away—two mirrored movements illustrating the simile.

Characters & Entities

• Yamakiṅkara
• Bhasma/Vibhūti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Śaiva bhasma-mark is celebrated as a decisive sign of protection, reversing fear and danger through sacred identity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader episode belongs to Kāśī’s tīrtha-mahātmya (with Vimalodaka Saras in view), where such protections are narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Keeping the forehead marked with bhasma/vibhūti as a protective observance.