Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

अंतर्गेहे कृतं पापं पैशाच्यनरकावहम् । पिशाचनरकप्राप्तिर्गच्छत्येव बहिर्यदि

Transliteration

aṃtargehe kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ paiśācyanarakāvaham | piśācanarakaprāptirgacchatyeva bahiryadi

Translation

Le péché commis dans l’enceinte intérieure mène à l’enfer nommé Paiśācya ; mais si l’on sort hors de la limite sacrée, on tombe assurément dans l’enfer des Piśāca.

Word by Word

• अन्तर्गेहे: inside the house
• अन्तर्गेहे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर् (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + गेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव-समास (अन्तः + गेहे) = 'अन्तर्गेहे' (locative adverbial)

• कृतम्: committed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'done/committed'

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• पैशाच्यनरकावहम्: bringing the piśāca-hell
• पैशाच्यनरकावहम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पैशाच्य (प्रातिपदिक) + नरक (प्रातिपदिक) + वह (धातु) → आवह (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पैशाच्य-नरकं आवहति इति)

• पिशाचनरकप्राप्तिः: attainment of the piśāca-hell
• पिशाचनरकप्राप्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाच (प्रातिपदिक) + नरक (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पिशाच-नरकस्य प्राप्तिः)

• गच्छति: goes/ensues
• गच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• बहिः: outside
• बहिः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहिः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī/Avimukta-kṣetra (Antargṛha precinct)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamas (best of twice-born) / pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at the invisible boundary of Kāśī: inside, luminous lanes and a Rudra-presence; outside, a darker liminal zone symbolizing piśāca-naraka. A subtle map-like ring (pañcakrośī) encircles the city; the ‘inner precinct’ is shown as sanctified space.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Paiśācya-naraka
• Piśāca-naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is governed by a sacred boundary (kṣetra-maryādā); wrongdoing has specific karmic consequences tied to place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a kṣetra whose inner domain is treated as spiritually distinct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes ethical restraint and reverence for the kṣetra-boundary.