Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

मरणं नाभिकांक्षेद्धि कांक्ष्यो मोक्षोऽपिनो पुनः । शरीरशोषणोपायः कर्तव्यः सुधिया नहि

Transliteration

maraṇaṃ nābhikāṃkṣeddhi kāṃkṣyo mokṣo'pino punaḥ | śarīraśoṣaṇopāyaḥ kartavyaḥ sudhiyā nahi

Translation

Man soll den Tod nicht begehren; und auch die Befreiung nicht gierig ergreifen wollen. Ein Weiser soll keine Mittel ergreifen, die den Leib auszehren oder quälen.

Word by Word

• मरणम्: death
• मरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; abstract noun (death)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• अभिकाङ्क्षेत्: should desire
• अभिकाङ्क्षेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√काङ्क्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should desire/seek’

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

• काङ्क्ष्यः: desirable
• काङ्क्ष्यः: Vidhaya (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काङ्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक; √काङ्क्ष्-सम्भव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘to be desired’ (gerundive sense)

• मोक्षः: liberation
• मोक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• उ: indeed
• उ: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/indeed)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (again/further)

• शरीर-शोषण-उपायः: means of drying/emaciating the body
• शरीर-शोषण-उपायः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक) + शोषण (प्रातिपदिक; √शुष्-णिच्/भाव) + उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शरीरस्य शोषणस्य उपायः)

• कर्तव्यः: should be done
• कर्तव्यः: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; gerundive ‘to be done’

• सुधिया: by a wise person / with good understanding
• सुधिया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-धी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सु + धी) ‘good intellect’; instrumental ‘by/with’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī sits calmly near a ghat, rejecting harsh ascetic implements; Śiva’s presence is implied as a compassionate guide toward balanced sādhana.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual life in Kāśī is not escapism; avoid craving for death or liberation and avoid harmful austerities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī in the broader discourse, where even the pursuit of mokṣa is to be tempered with wisdom.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition: do not adopt practices aimed at bodily desiccation/torment; cultivate wise restraint instead.