Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

लालापिबेच दुष्प्रेक्ष्य तीर्थासुष्ठीविनं नय । आमपाके च गर्भघ्नं शूलपाकेऽन्यतापिनम्

Transliteration

lālāpibeca duṣprekṣya tīrthāsuṣṭhīvinaṃ naya | āmapāke ca garbhaghnaṃ śūlapāke'nyatāpinam

Translation

Lead the impure one who spits in the sacred tīrthas to the hell called Lālāpiba, hard to behold. Consign the slayer of the unborn to Āmapāka, and the tormentor of others to Śūlapāka.

Word by Word

• लालापिबे: in Lālāpiba (hell)
• लालापिबे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाला + पिब (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (लालायाः पिबः/पानम्; ‘Lālāpiba’ नरक-नाम)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• दुष्प्रेक्ष्य: O hard-to-behold one / dreadful one
• दुष्प्रेक्ष्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस् + प्रेक्ष्य (कृदन्त; प्रेक्ष्-धातु, ल्यप्/यत्)
• Form: अव्ययभावे/विशेषणरूपे; ‘दुष्प्रेक्ष्य’ = दुष्-उपसर्गयुक्तः प्रेक्ष्य (hard to look at); अत्र सम्बोधन/विशेषणरूपे प्रयुक्तम्

• तीर्थासुष्ठीविनम्: one who spits in sacred places
• तीर्थासुष्ठीविनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + असु + ष्ठीविन् (प्रातिपदिक; ष्ठीविन् = ष्ठीव्/ष्ठिव्-धातुज कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थेषु असु-ष्ठीविन् = तीर्थेषु थूकयति इति)

• नय: lead (him)
• नय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• आमपाके: in Āmapāka (hell)
• आमपाके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आम + पाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (आमस्य पाकः / ‘Āmapāka’ नरक-नाम)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• गर्भघ्नम्: foetus-killer (abortionist)
• गर्भघ्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ + घ्न (प्रातिपदिक; घ्न = हन्-धातुज कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (अत्र द्वितीया एकवचन), द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गर्भस्य घ्नः)

• शूलपाके: in Śūlapāka (hell)
• शूलपाके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल + पाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (शूलस्य पाकः / ‘Śūlapāka’ नरक-नाम)

• अन्यतापिनम्: one who torments others
• अन्यतापिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य + तापिन् (प्रातिपदिक; तापिन् = तप्-धातुज कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (अन्यान् तापयति इति)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa, Skanda → Agastya dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-tīrthas (Gaṅgā-ghāṭas, contextual)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three infernal vignettes: (1) Lālāpiba—an unclean sinner forced to drink foul saliva/filth near a desecrated ghat motif; (2) Āmapāka—feticide in a cauldron of half-cooked putrid matter; (3) Śūlapāka—tormentor impaled on spears/tridents, surrounded by attendants.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī
• Tīrtha
• Naraka
• Lālāpiba
• Āmapāka
• Śūlapāka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places demand śauca (purity) and reverence, and harming life or causing others pain brings severe karmic fruition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tīrthas in general—within the Kāśī sacred geography—are upheld as holy and not to be defiled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prescription of tīrtha-śauca: maintain cleanliness and respect at pilgrimage waters; no detailed rite is specified.