Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

जातुमांसं न भोक्तव्यं प्राणैः कंठगतैरपि । भोक्तव्यं तर्हि भोक्तव्यं स्वमांसं नेतरस्य च

Transliteration

jātumāṃsaṃ na bhoktavyaṃ prāṇaiḥ kaṃṭhagatairapi | bhoktavyaṃ tarhi bhoktavyaṃ svamāṃsaṃ netarasya ca

Translation

ഒരിക്കലും മാംസം ഭക്ഷിക്കരുത്—പ്രാണം കണ്ഠത്തിൽ കുടുങ്ങിയാലും. എന്തെങ്കിലും ഭക്ഷിക്കേണ്ടി വന്നാൽ, മറ്റുള്ളവരുടെതല്ല; സ്വന്തം മാംസമേ ഭക്ഷിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• जातु: ever/at any time
• जातु: Discourse/Adverbial
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/कालवाचक अव्यय (at any time/ever)

• मांसम्: meat
• मांसम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negation)

• भोक्तव्यम्: to be eaten/should be eaten
• भोक्तव्यम्: Vidhi/Predicate (Obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: should be eaten)

• प्राणैः: with life-breaths
• प्राणैः: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• कण्ठगतैः: having reached the throat (failing)
• कण्ठगतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier of प्राणैः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (कृदन्त, क्त from गम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; तत्पुरुष (having reached the throat = at the point of death)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि = even/also

• भोक्तव्यम्: should be eaten
• भोक्तव्यम्: Vidhi/Predicate
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + तव्यत्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त

• तर्हि: then
• तर्हि: Discourse connective
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तर्हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (then/in that case)

• भोक्तव्यम्: should be eaten
• भोक्तव्यम्: Vidhi/Predicate
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + तव्यत्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्वमांसम्: one’s own flesh
• स्वमांसम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (one’s own flesh)

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात

• इतरस्य: of another
• इतरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic idealized figure in Kāśī refuses meat even at the brink of death, symbolically choosing self-sacrifice over harming another being; the scene conveys stern compassion.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ahiṃsā is elevated above even self-preservation; harming another for survival is portrayed as adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ethical teaching is given within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s praise of Kāśī as a purifier and guide to dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A strict niyama: avoid meat under all circumstances; no additional ritual acts are specified.