Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ततो वाराणसीं प्राप्तस्तस्यां तदपतच्छिरः । पतिते तु कपाले च ब्रह्महत्या न मुञ्चति

Transliteration

tato vārāṇasīṃ prāptastasyāṃ tadapatacchiraḥ | patite tu kapāle ca brahmahatyā na muñcati

Translation

Puis, parvenu à Vārāṇasī, cette tête y tomba. Pourtant, même lorsque le crâne fut tombé, le péché de brahma-hatyā ne le quitta pas.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'thereupon/then'

• vārāṇasīm: to Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• prāptaḥ: having reached / reached
• prāptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp + pra (धातु) → prāpta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (having reached)

• tasyām: in that (city)
• tasyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (that)

• apatat: fell
• apatat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• patite: when (it) had fallen
• patite: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √pat (धातु) → patita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (when ... had fallen)

• tu: indeed, but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = 'but/indeed'

• kapāle: in/when the skull-bowl
• kapāle: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी-संबद्ध

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• brahmahatyā: the sin of brahmin-slaying (Brahmahatyā)
• brahmahatyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmahatyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• muñcati: releases, lets go (of)
• muñcati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator addressing Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva arrives in Kāśī; a severed head/skull (kapāla) drops to the ground, yet a dark, clinging aura of brahmahatyā remains, signifying unresolved sin despite the holy city.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External signs of relief are not always inner purification; true absolution comes only through complete, dharma-aligned expiation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī is mentioned as a major sacred station, yet the narrative emphasizes that the decisive release occurs later at a Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it underscores the need for continued prāyaścitta beyond a single holy stop.