Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

दुष्कृतानि विधायेह बहिः पंचत्वमागताः । तेषां गतिं प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणुत द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

duṣkṛtāni vidhāyeha bahiḥ paṃcatvamāgatāḥ | teṣāṃ gatiṃ pravakṣyāmi śṛṇuta dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

ここで悪業をなして、聖なる境界の外で死を迎えた者たちの行き先を、わたしは説き明かそう。聞け、最勝の二度生まれよ。

Word by Word

• दुष्कृतानि: evil deeds
• दुष्कृतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + कृत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (दुष्टं कृतम् = दुष्कृतम्)

• विधाय: having committed
• विधाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि + धा (धातु) → विधाय (कृदन्त, क्त्वान्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) = 'having done/committed'

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here/in this world)

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

• पञ्चत्वम्: death (becoming the five elements)
• पञ्चत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + त्व (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; 'पञ्चत्व' = मृत्युभाव (state of being five elements)

• आगताः: having reached
• आगताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोगे 'having reached'

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• गतिम्: destiny/going
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I will explain
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शृणुत: listen
• शृणुत: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• द्विजसत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Vocative address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (द्विजाः सत्तमाः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya and sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (with emphasis on ‘bahis’ death)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-narrator addressing assembled brāhmaṇas on a ghat, gesturing toward the city boundary; a funeral procession moving outward beyond the sacred ring, foreshadowing the ‘gati’ to be explained.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Where one dies relative to the sacred boundary is portrayed as spiritually significant; the Purāṇa maps karma to sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī and its kṣetra-maryādā (holy boundary).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse introduces an exposition on post-death outcomes.