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

ഹേ മഹാപ്രഭോ! യുദ്ധഭൂമിയിൽ തോറ്റു അപയശത്തിന്റെ അന്ധകാരത്തിൽ സ്വന്തം കീർത്തിയെ മലിനമാക്കിയവർ ഇഹലോകത്തിലും പരലോകത്തിലും സുഖികൾ ആകുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• अयशस्तमसा: by the darkness of ill-fame
• अयशस्तमसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयशस् (प्रातिपदिक) + तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/हेतु), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अयशसः तमसा = ‘अयशः-रूपेण तमसा’), Instrumental singular (by/with the darkness of ill-fame)

• ख्यातिम्: fame, reputation
• ख्यातिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ख्याति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; Accusative singular

• मलिनीकृत्य: having defiled
• मलिनीकृत्य: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मलिनी√कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘मलिनी-’ उपसर्ग/नामधातु-प्रयोग + √कृ; Absolutive: having made (it) dirty/defiled

• अभूरि: became
• अभूरि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada; ‘became/was’

• इशः: the lord
• इशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• इह: here
• इह: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• अमुत्र: there (in the other world)
• अमुत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अमुत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle: also/even)

• सुखिनः: happy
• सुखिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural; विशेषण (qualifying implied ‘ते’)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• स्युः: would be
• स्युः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; Parasmaipada; ‘would be/might be’

• भग्नाः: defeated, broken
• भग्नाः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भग्न (√भञ्ज् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) used adjectivally

• रणाजिरात्: from the battlefield
• रणाजिरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रणाजिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, 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

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma upholds honor: surrendering to disgrace stains one’s fame and obstructs well-being in both worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a dharmic maxim within the Kāśī context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse emphasizes ethical consequence (yaśas/ayaśas) rather than a rite.