Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

जातुमांसं न भोक्तव्यं प्राणैः कंठगतैरपि । भोक्तव्यं तर्हि भोक्तव्यं स्वमांसं नेतरस्य च

Transliteration

jātumāṃsaṃ na bhoktavyaṃ prāṇaiḥ kaṃṭhagatairapi | bhoktavyaṃ tarhi bhoktavyaṃ svamāṃsaṃ netarasya ca

Translation

Meat should never be eaten—even if one’s very life is at the throat’s edge. If something must be eaten, then let it be one’s own flesh, not another’s.

Word by Word

• जातु: ever/at any time
• जातु: Discourse/Adverbial
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/कालवाचक अव्यय (at any time/ever)

• मांसम्: meat
• मांसम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negation)

• भोक्तव्यम्: to be eaten/should be eaten
• भोक्तव्यम्: Vidhi/Predicate (Obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: should be eaten)

• प्राणैः: with life-breaths
• प्राणैः: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• कण्ठगतैः: having reached the throat (failing)
• कण्ठगतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier of प्राणैः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (कृदन्त, क्त from गम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; तत्पुरुष (having reached the throat = at the point of death)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि = even/also

• भोक्तव्यम्: should be eaten
• भोक्तव्यम्: Vidhi/Predicate
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + तव्यत्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त

• तर्हि: then
• तर्हि: Discourse connective
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तर्हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (then/in that case)

• भोक्तव्यम्: should be eaten
• भोक्तव्यम्: Vidhi/Predicate
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + तव्यत्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्वमांसम्: one’s own flesh
• स्वमांसम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (one’s own flesh)

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात

• इतरस्य: of another
• इतरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic idealized figure in Kāśī refuses meat even at the brink of death, symbolically choosing self-sacrifice over harming another being; the scene conveys stern compassion.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ahiṃsā is elevated above even self-preservation; harming another for survival is portrayed as adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ethical teaching is given within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s praise of Kāśī as a purifier and guide to dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A strict niyama: avoid meat under all circumstances; no additional ritual acts are specified.