Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

एकतः सर्वमांसानि मत्स्यमांसं तथकैतः । स्मृतिः स्मृतेति किंत्वेभिरतोमत्स्याञ्जहत्यमी

Transliteration

ekataḥ sarvamāṃsāni matsyamāṃsaṃ tathakaitaḥ | smṛtiḥ smṛteti kiṃtvebhiratomatsyāñjahatyamī

Translation

ഒരു വശത്ത് എല്ലാത്തരം മാംസങ്ങളും—മത്സ്യമാംസവും; എന്നാൽ ‘സ്മൃതി, സ്മൃതി’ എന്ന് മാത്രം ഉച്ചരിച്ചാൽ എന്ത് ഫലം? അതിനാൽ ഇവർ മത്സ്യഭക്ഷണം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• एकतः: on one side / in one way
• एकतः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb: on one side/one way)

• सर्वमांसानि: all meats
• सर्वमांसानि: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + मांस (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + मांस)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (all kinds of meat)

• मत्स्यमांसम्: fish-meat
• मत्स्यमांसम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य + मांस (प्रातिपदिक; मत्स्य + मांस)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (fish-meat)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय (thus/likewise)

• कैतः: a certain person/agent named ‘kaita’ (unclear)
• कैतः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-शब्दः)

• स्मृतिः: scriptural rule / tradition
• स्मृतिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्मृता: is remembered/declared
• स्मृता: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-प्रयोग (quotative)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय (but/however)

• एभिः: by these
• एभिः: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/causal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/तस्मात् (therefore/from this)

• मत्स्यान्: fish
• मत्स्यान्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• जहति: abandons/gives up
• जहति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हā (धातु; जहाति-रूप)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• अमी: those (people)
• अमी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: offerings of various meats set aside, while creatures in Kāśī’s precincts refrain; a subtle contrast between ‘speech of Smṛti’ and ‘embodied restraint’ is shown through calm, non-violent imagery near ghats.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Smṛti (Dharma-text tradition)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dharma is not only citation of texts but actual restraint; Kāśī’s sanctity inspires lived ethical conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra, whose influence is portrayed as turning beings away from harmful habits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is stated; the emphasis is on renunciation of हिंसा (harm), symbolized by abandoning fish-eating.