Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

जगाद यमुनाबंधुं वाहीकस्य द्विजन्मनः । जन्मकर्मदिनारभ्य दुर्वृत्तस्य शुभेतरम्

Transliteration

jagāda yamunābaṃdhuṃ vāhīkasya dvijanmanaḥ | janmakarmadinārabhya durvṛttasya śubhetaram

Translation

Il parla au parent de Yamunā au sujet du deux fois né Vāhīka : depuis le jour même du rite de naissance, il raconta la conduite de cet homme malveillant — rarement auspicieuse, le plus souvent le contraire.

Word by Word

• जगाद: said
• जगाद: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु: √गद् (to speak)

• यमुनाबन्धुम्: to/about Yamunā’s kinsman
• यमुनाबन्धुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना + बन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (यमुनायाः बन्धुः)

• वाहीकस्य: of Vāhīka
• वाहीकस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाहीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• द्विजन्मनः: of the twice-born
• द्विजन्मनः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (द्विजस्य जन्म)

• जन्मकर्मदिनात्: from the day of the birth-rite
• जन्मकर्मदिनात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म + कर्म + दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (जन्मकर्मणः दिनम्)

• आरभ्य: starting from
• आरभ्य: Adverbial (starting-point marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-रभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यप् (Gerund used as postposition), अव्ययभाव; धातु: √रभ्, उपसर्ग: आ-; अर्थ: ‘starting from’

• दुर्वृत्तस्य: of the ill-conducted (man)
• दुर्वृत्तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक) = दुर् + वृत्त
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (दुष्टं वृत्तं यस्य)

• शुभेतरम्: what is not good / inauspicious
• शुभेतरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ + इतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय; ‘शुभस्य इतरम्’ (opposite of good)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual); Citragupta begins addressing Yama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yama (Yamunā-bandhu/Vaivasvata)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Citragupta narrates a chronological ‘scroll’ of the man’s life—birth rites, missed duties, misdeeds—while Yama listens; the soul stands diminished, head bowed.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamunā
• Citragupta
• Vāhīka brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Life is evaluated as a continuum of conduct; neglect and wrongdoing accumulate consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context glorifies Kāśī, but this verse is part of a karmic audit narrative rather than a site description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references the birth-rite (jātakarma) as a marker in the life-account, without prescribing performance here.