Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

नास्तिका वेदबाह्याश्च शिश्नोदरपरायणाः । अंत्यजाताश्च ये तेषां पुरः काशी न वर्ण्यताम्

Transliteration

nāstikā vedabāhyāśca śiśnodaraparāyaṇāḥ | aṃtyajātāśca ye teṣāṃ puraḥ kāśī na varṇyatām

Translation

നാസ്തികരുടെ മുമ്പിലും, വേദബാഹ്യരുടെ മുമ്പിലും, കാമവും ഉദരവും മാത്രം ലക്ഷ്യമാക്കിയവരുടെ മുമ്പിലും, അധമചിത്തമുള്ള അന്ത്യജരുടെ മുമ്പിലും കാശിയെ വർണ്ണിക്കരുത്।

Word by Word

• नास्तिकाः: atheists
• नास्तिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नास्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वेदबाह्याः: outside the Veda (non-Vedic)
• वेदबाह्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेदबाह्य (प्रातिपदिक; वेद + बाह्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (qualifying ‘नास्तिकाः’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• शिश्नोदरपरायणाः: devoted to lust and belly (sex and gluttony)
• शिश्नोदरपरायणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिश्न-उदर-परायण (प्रातिपदिक; शिश्न + उदर + परायण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण

• अन्त्यजाताः: those born in the lowest (castes)
• अन्त्यजाताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त्यजात (प्रातिपदिक; अन्त्य + जात)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पुरः: before, in the presence of
• पुरः: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: “in front of, before”)

• काशी: Kāśī
• काशी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• वर्ण्यताम्: let (it) not be described
• वर्ण्यताम्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वर्ण् (धातु; वर्णँ—वर्णने)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (as guarded teaching)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni/audience of sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage pauses instruction at the threshold of a hermitage/temple courtyard, allowing devoted listeners to enter while turning away coarse, mocking figures symbolizing nāstika and sense-indulgent types.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred teachings require receptivity; speaking holy praise to contemptuous, sense-driven hearers is discouraged.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī—its sanctity is treated as a confidential praise not to be offered in hostile settings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A conduct rule: refrain from expounding Kāśī-māhātmya to irreverent audiences.