Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56
Devanagari script
अयशस्तमसा ख्यातिं मलिनीकृत्यभूरिशः । इहामुत्रापि सुखिनो न स्युर्भग्ना रणाजिरात्
Transliteration
ayaśastamasā khyātiṃ malinīkṛtyabhūriśaḥ | ihāmutrāpi sukhino na syurbhagnā raṇājirāt
Translation
大いなる主よ、戦場で打ち破られ退却する者は、不名誉の闇で名声を汚し、この世でも来世でも安楽を得ない。
Word by Word
अयशस्तमसाby the darkness of ill-fame
अयशस्तमसा:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootअयशस् (प्रातिपदिक) + तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/हेतु), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अयशसः तमसा = ‘अयशः-रूपेण तमसा’), Instrumental singular (by/with the darkness of ill-fame)
ख्यातिम्fame, reputation
ख्यातिम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootख्याति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; Accusative singular
मलिनीकृत्यhaving defiled
मलिनीकृत्य:
Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeVerb
Rootमलिनी√कृ (धातु)
Formक्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘मलिनी-’ उपसर्ग/नामधातु-प्रयोग + √कृ; Absolutive: having made (it) dirty/defiled
अभूरिbecame
अभूरि:
Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√भू (धातु)
Formलुङ् (अorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada; ‘became/was’
इशःthe lord
इशः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootईश (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular
इहhere
इह:
Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइह (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)
अमुत्रthere (in the other world)
अमुत्र:
Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअमुत्र (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)
अपिalso
अपि:
Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, निपात (particle: also/even)
सुखिनःhappy
सुखिनः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootसुखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural; विशेषण (qualifying implied ‘ते’)
नnot
न:
Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, निषेध-निपात (negation particle)
स्युःwould be
स्युः:
Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√अस् (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; Parasmaipada; ‘would be/might be’
भग्नाःdefeated, broken
भग्नाः:
Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootभग्न (√भञ्ज् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) used adjectivally
रणाजिरात्from the battlefield
रणाजिरात्:
Apadana (Source/अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootरणाजिर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (रणः एव अजिरम् = रणाजिरम् ‘battlefield’); Ablative singular: from the battlefield
Speaker
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A routed warrior retreats from a dust-darkened battlefield; a shadow (tamas) falls over his once-bright fame, while distant Kāśī’s luminous ghāṭas hint at redemption.
FAQs
Dharma upholds honor: surrendering to disgrace stains one’s fame and obstructs well-being in both worlds.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a dharmic maxim within the Kāśī context.
None; the verse emphasizes ethical consequence (yaśas/ayaśas) rather than a rite.