Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

आत्मघातो न कर्तव्यस्तस्मात्क्वापि विपश्चिता । इहापि च परत्रापि न शुभान्यात्मघातिनाम्

Transliteration

ātmaghāto na kartavyastasmātkvāpi vipaścitā | ihāpi ca paratrāpi na śubhānyātmaghātinām

Translation

C’est pourquoi le sage ne doit jamais commettre l’autodestruction, où que ce soit ; car pour les suicidés il n’y a point d’auspice, ni en ce monde ni dans l’autre.

Word by Word

• आत्मघातः: suicide, self-killing
• आत्मघातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् + घात (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आत्मनः घातः)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• कर्तव्यः: to be done / should be done
• कर्तव्यः: Kriya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that (reason)
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• क्वापि: anywhere
• क्वापि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययसमूहः; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (anywhere)

• विपश्चिता: by a wise person
• विपश्चिता: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विपश्चित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; साधनवाचक (instrumental of agent/means)

• इह: here (in this world)
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कार-अव्यय (also/even)

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

• परत्र: in the next world
• परत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (in the other world/thereafter)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (also)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• शुभानि: good (results)
• शुभानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (फल/मङ्गलार्थे)

• आत्मघातिनाम्: of self-killers
• आत्मघातिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् + घातिन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आत्मनः घातिनः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm, teacher-like figure (ṛṣi/ācārya) instructs a distressed person at the edge of a river-ghāṭ in Kāśī; behind them, the city’s lamps and temples symbolize ‘śubha’, while a shadowy path of self-harm is shown as barren and inauspicious.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Life is to be protected; self-harm destroys auspiciousness in both worldly and otherworldly destinies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site; it is a universal dharma injunction placed within the Kāśī narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical prohibition (niṣedha) against ātmaghāta.