Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

यदंगमपराध्नोति कार्यं तस्यैव शासनम् । अतो येन कृता निंदा तच्छिन्नं पचमं शिरः

Transliteration

yadaṃgamaparādhnoti kāryaṃ tasyaiva śāsanam | ato yena kṛtā niṃdā tacchinnaṃ pacamaṃ śiraḥ

Translation

ഏത് അവയവമാണോ അപരാധം ചെയ്യുന്നത്, അതിനുതന്നെയാണ് ശിക്ഷ നൽകേണ്ടത്. അതിനാൽ ഏതിനാലാണോ നിന്ദിക്കപ്പെട്ടത്, ആ അഞ്ചാമത്തെ തല ഛേദിക്കപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• yat: whatever; which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative)

• aṅgam: limb; part
• aṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• aparādhnoti: offends; transgresses against
• aparādhnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: apa-√rādh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• kāryam: to be done; proper (act)
• kāryam: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate noun)

• tasya: of that (person)
• tasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• eva: indeed; only
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक

• śāsanam: punishment; chastisement
• śāsanam: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāsana (प्रातिपदिक; √śās (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ataḥ: therefore
• ataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, हेत्वर्थ/तस्मात्-अर्थे (therefore)

• yena: by whom; whereby
• yena: Karaṇa (Instrument/Agentive instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (by whom/whereby)

• kṛtā: done; made
• kṛtā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘निन्दा’ इति विशेषण

• niṃdā: blame; censure
• niṃdā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṃdā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘छिन्नम्’ इति विशेषण

• chinnam: cut off
• chinnam: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √chid (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• pañcamam: fifth
• pañcamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘शिरः’ इति विशेषण

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience (didactic target: pilgrims/householders)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: a symbolic figure of Dharma points to the mouth/head as the seat of slander; the severed fifth head is shown as consequence, while Bhairava stands as enforcer of proportionate justice.

Characters & Entities

• Kālabhairava
• Brahmā (five heads implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches a dhārmic principle: accountability—punishment corresponds to the organ or agency through which wrongdoing is committed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is ethical-mythic, situated within the Kāśī narrative that extols Bhairava’s rule in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it explains the rationale (niṃdā leading to severance of the fifth head).