Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

या भर्तारं परित्यज्य मिष्टमऽश्नाति केवलम् । ग्रामे वासकरी भूयाद्वल्गुर्वापि श्वविट्भुजा

Transliteration

yā bhartāraṃ parityajya miṣṭama'śnāti kevalam | grāme vāsakarī bhūyādvalgurvāpi śvaviṭbhujā

Translation

ഭർത്താവിനെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് മധുരഭോജനമേ മാത്രം കഴിക്കുന്ന സ്ത്രീ ഗ്രാമത്തിൽ വാസകരിയായി ജനിക്കുന്നു; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ വൽഗൂയായി പിറന്ന് നായകളുടെ വിസർജ്യം ഭക്ഷിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• yā: she who
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• bhartāram: husband
• bhartāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• parityajya: having abandoned
• parityajya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pari-tyaj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive)

• miṣṭam: sweet food
• miṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: miṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• aśnāti: eats
• aśnāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present indicative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• kevalam: only, merely
• kevalam: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kevala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन प्रयुक्तम् (adverbial use)

• grāme: in the village
• grāme: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vāsakarī: a (kind of) village-dwelling creature
• vāsakarī: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsakarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• bhūyāt: would become
• bhūyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• valguḥ: a valgu (animal/bird name)
• valguḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: valgu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/सम्भावना-अव्यय (also/even)

• śva-viṭ-bhujā: a dog-dung-eating creature
• śva-viṭ-bhujā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvan (प्रातिपदिक) + viṭ (प्रातिपदिक) + bhujā (भुज् धातु से कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (dog-excrement-eater)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast scene: a woman rejecting simple household fare and seeking only sweets; karmic aftermath shown as a lowly village creature scavenging filth near dogs, emphasizing the fall from refined taste to impurity.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It criticizes abandonment and indulgent, self-centered consumption, portraying them as causes of degrading rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a karmic admonition focused on conduct and restraint.