Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

यः स्वार्थं मांसपचनं कुरुते पापमोहितः । यावंत्यस्य तु रोमाणि तावत्स नरके वसेत्

Transliteration

yaḥ svārthaṃ māṃsapacanaṃ kurute pāpamohitaḥ | yāvaṃtyasya tu romāṇi tāvatsa narake vaset

Translation

Barangsiapa, terpedaya oleh dosa, memasak daging demi kepuasan diri, ia akan tinggal di neraka selama tahun sebanyak rambut di tubuhnya.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• स्वार्थम्: one’s own benefit
• स्वार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (for one’s own purpose)

• मांसपचनम्: cooking of meat
• मांसपचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक) + पचन (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from पच्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (cooking of meat)

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• पापमोहितः: deluded by sin
• पापमोहितः: Visheshana (Qualifier of यः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + मोहित (कृदन्त, क्त from मुह्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (deluded by sin)

• यावन्ति: as many as
• यावन्ति: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक (as many as)

• अस्य: of him
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• रोमाणि: hairs
• रोमाणि: Karta (Subject of implied ‘are’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तावत्: that many
• तावत्: Visheshana (Quantifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (so much/that many)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• वसेत्: would dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark moral tableau: a person cooking meat for pleasure is juxtaposed with a symbolic counting of body-hairs as years, and a distant vision of naraka—serving as a deterrent within a Kāśī teaching setting.

Characters & Entities

• naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Violence done for selfish enjoyment yields severe karmic retribution; dharma demands restraint and compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī discourse; it supports the moral purity associated with the sacred city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A moral prohibition (niṣedha): do not cook meat for selfish ends; no positive ritual is specified.