Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

न तादृशं भवेत्पापं मृगयावृत्तिकांक्षिणः । यादृशं भवति प्रेत्य लौल्यान्मांसोपसेविनः

Transliteration

na tādṛśaṃ bhavetpāpaṃ mṛgayāvṛttikāṃkṣiṇaḥ | yādṛśaṃ bhavati pretya laulyānmāṃsopasevinaḥ

Translation

The sin of one who seeks a livelihood by hunting is not as great as the sin that, after death, befalls the person who indulges in eating meat out of sheer greed and craving.

Word by Word

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

• tādṛśam: such (of that kind)
• tādṛśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tādṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg)

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• mṛgayā: by hunting
• mṛgayā: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛgayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (instrumental in compound)

• vṛtti: livelihood
• vṛtti: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासाङ्ग (member of compound)

• kāṅkṣiṇaḥ: of one who desires hunting as livelihood
• kāṅkṣiṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṅkṣin (प्रातिपदिक; √kāṅkṣ (धातु) से)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; मृगयावृत्ति-काङ्क्षिन् = मृगयया वृत्तिं काङ्क्षति इति (one who desires livelihood by hunting)

• yādṛśam: such as (what kind)
• yādṛśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yādṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• bhavati: is/becomes
• bhavati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pretya: after death
• pretya: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-√i (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘प्रेत्य’ = प्र + इत्वा, ‘मृत्युम् अतिक्रम्य/परलोकं गत्वा’

• laulyāt: from greed/craving
• laulyāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

• māṃsa: meat
• māṃsa: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासाङ्ग

• upasevinaḥ: of one who indulges in meat
• upasevinaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upasevin (प्रातिपदिक; upa-√sev (धातु) से)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; māṃsa-upasevin = मांसम् उपसेवते इति (one who indulges in meat)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī turns away from a meat-stall, reflecting on death and the afterlife; in the background rise ghāṭas, the Gaṅgā, and the spires of Viśvanātha, emphasizing restraint amid worldly temptations.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intent matters in karma: indulgence driven by greed creates heavier demerit than harsh livelihood-compulsion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this verse itself is an ethical teaching rather than a site-specific praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it offers a moral grading of actions based on motive (greed vs. livelihood).