Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

शयनासनयानानि कुणपं स्त्रीमुखं कुशाः । यज्ञपात्राणि सर्वाणि न दुष्यंति बुधाः क्वचित्

Transliteration

śayanāsanayānāni kuṇapaṃ strīmukhaṃ kuśāḥ | yajñapātrāṇi sarvāṇi na duṣyaṃti budhāḥ kvacit

Translation

ശയനം, ആസനം, വാഹനങ്ങൾ; ശവം; സ്ത്രീയുടെ മുഖം; കുശപ്പുല്ല്; യജ്ഞത്തിലെ എല്ലാ പാത്രങ്ങളും—ഇവയിലൊന്നും ജ്ഞാനികളുടെ അഭിപ്രായത്തിൽ ഒരിക്കലും (ധർമ്മാർത്ഥത്തിൽ) അശുദ്ധമാകുന്നില്ല.

Word by Word

• शयनासनयानानि: beds, seats, and vehicles
• शयनासनयानानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शयन-आसन-यान (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (शयनं च आसनं च यानं च)

• कुणपम्: a corpse/carcass
• कुणपम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुणप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्त्रीमुखम्: a woman's mouth/face
• स्त्रीमुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री-मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्त्रियाः मुखम्)

• कुशाः: kuśa grasses
• कुशाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• यज्ञपात्राणि: sacrificial vessels
• यज्ञपात्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ-पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञस्य पात्राणि)

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (यज्ञपात्राणि)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• दुष्यन्ति: become defiled
• दुष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दुष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• बुधाः: the wise (say/hold)
• बुधाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• क्वचित्: ever/anywhere
• क्वचित्: Desha-Kala (Adverbial/देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/काल-अव्यय (adverb: ‘ever/anywhere’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual inventory tableau: kuśa bundles, yajña vessels, a simple bed and seat, and a chariot-like conveyance arranged near a sacrificial fire; a learned paṇḍita gestures, explaining that these do not become impure in the relevant dharmic sense.

Characters & Entities

• Kuśa (grass)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma distinguishes contextual ritual purity from ordinary aversion, affirming certain things as non-defiling for sacred purposes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Kāśī section (Kāśīkhaṇḍa); no specific tirtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It gives a classificatory rule about what is not considered ritually defiling, especially in relation to yajña.