Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

विष्ठागर्ते च निरये स्वयं पतति दुर्मतिः । आभूतसंप्लवं यावत्ततः स्याद्ग्रामसूकरी

Transliteration

viṣṭhāgarte ca niraye svayaṃ patati durmatiḥ | ābhūtasaṃplavaṃ yāvattataḥ syādgrāmasūkarī

Translation

That evil-minded one falls of her own accord into the hell of a pit of filth; and until the cosmic dissolution, thereafter she becomes a village sow.

Word by Word

• विष्ठा-गर्ते: in a pit of excrement
• विष्ठा-गर्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक) + गर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular) — अधिकरण (location)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• निरये: in hell
• निरये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular) — अधिकरण

• स्वयम्: by herself
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — स्वकृत्ये/स्वतः (oneself)

• पतति: falls
• पतति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person, Singular)

• दुर्मतिः: the evil-minded (woman)
• दुर्मतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular) — कर्ता

• आ-भूत-संप्लवम्: until the cosmic deluge
• आ-भूत-संप्लवम्: Adhikarana (Time-limit/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + संप्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular) — कालपर्यन्त-प्रयोगः (up to the time of …)

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Time connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — यावदवधि (as long as/until)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् (thereafter/therefore)

• स्यात्: would become
• स्यात्: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person, Singular)

• ग्राम-सूकरी: a village sow
• ग्राम-सूकरी: Karma/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक) + सूकरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular) — विधेय-नाम (predicate noun)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dark pit of filth (viṣṭhā-garta) as naraka; the sinner falling by her own momentum; transition to rebirth as a village sow amid human settlement outskirts.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma leads to degrading states of suffering; vivid naraka imagery is used to deter betrayal and moral collapse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tirtha is named; the verse is part of Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s ethical instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes karmic retribution.