Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

दिन त्रिचतुरस्थायि या नारी प्राप्य यौवनम् । भर्तारं वंचयेन्मोहात्साऽक्षयं नरकं व्रजेत्

Transliteration

dina tricaturasthāyi yā nārī prāpya yauvanam | bhartāraṃ vaṃcayenmohātsā'kṣayaṃ narakaṃ vrajet

Translation

മൂന്നു നാലു ദിവസത്തെപ്പോലെ ക്ഷണികമായ യൗവനം പ്രാപിച്ച് മോഹവശാൽ ഭർത്താവിനെ വഞ്ചിക്കുന്ന സ്ത്രീ അക്ഷയ നരകത്തിലേക്ക് പോകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• दिन: day; for a day
• दिन: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular) — अव्ययीभावेन कालवाचक-प्रयोगः (as time-expression)

• त्रि-चतुर-स्थायि: lasting three or four (days)
• त्रि-चतुर-स्थायि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + स्थायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• या: who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular) — सम्बन्धबोधक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• नारी: woman
• नारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्यय-प्रयोगः; पूर्वक्रिया (having done)

• यौवनम्: youth
• यौवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यौवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• भर्तारम्: husband
• भर्तारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• वंचयेत्: should deceive
• वंचयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वञ्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person, Singular)

• मोहात्: out of delusion
• मोहात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (Masculine, Ablative, Singular) — हेत्वर्थे (cause)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• अक्षयम्: imperishable; unending
• अक्षयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• व्रजेत्: would go
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene: a fleeting youthful figure tempted by delusion, contrasted with a dark, endless naraka vista; Kāśī’s luminous ghāṭas in the distance as the moral horizon.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Because youth is fleeting, one should not sacrifice dharma for momentary pleasure; betrayal brings severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is delivered within Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s moral discourse; no tirtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it states a moral prohibition and its karmic outcome.