Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अपत्यविक्रयी कल्पं वसेद्विट्कृमिभोजने । अतो नाण्वपि कन्याया उपजीवेत्पिता धनम्

Transliteration

apatyavikrayī kalpaṃ vasedviṭkṛmibhojane | ato nāṇvapi kanyāyā upajīvetpitā dhanam

Translation

സ്വന്തം സന്തതിയെ വിറ്റവൻ മലവും പുഴുക്കളും ഭക്ഷിക്കേണ്ട നരകത്തിൽ ഒരു കല്പകാലം വസിക്കും. അതുകൊണ്ട് കന്യയിലൂടെ ലഭിച്ച അണുമാത്ര ധനത്തിലും പിതാവ് ഉപജീവിക്കരുത്.

Word by Word

• अपत्यविक्रयी: seller of offspring/children
• अपत्यविक्रयी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विक्रयी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अपत्यस्य विक्रयी = seller of offspring)

• कल्पम्: for an aeon/long period
• कल्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; काल-परिमाणवाचकः

• वसेत्: should dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• विट्कृमिभोजने: in the realm/condition of being food for worms in excrement
• विट्कृमिभोजने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विट् (प्रातिपदिक) + कृमि (प्रातिपदिक) + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विट्कृमिणां भोजनम् = food of worms in excrement)

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतु/निगमन-अव्ययम् (therefore/from this)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• अणु: even a small (amount)
• अणु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; ‘धनम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्ययम् (even)

• कन्यायाः: of a daughter
• कन्यायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम्

• उपजीवेत्: should live off/derive livelihood from
• उपजीवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-जीव् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• पिता: the father
• पिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• धनम्: wealth/money
• धनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/seekers (context-dependent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark moral tableau: a greedy father taking coins is contrasted with a vision of a dark hell realm where sinners eat filth and worms; a dharma-figure points the father away from the act.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (implied context)
• Naraka (hell realms, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Exploiting one’s child for money is a grave adharma with severe karmic consequence; dharmic livelihood must be free from such gain.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered dharma narrative, framing household conduct as part of Kāśī’s sacred order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A strict prohibition: a father must not subsist on wealth obtained ‘from the daughter’—i.e., any bride-price or exploitative gain.