Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

मृष्टं तिष्ठतु तद्दूरं विषादप्यधिकं कटु । तत्त्वया वादियन्मंत्रैरौषधैर्नोपशाम्यति

Transliteration

mṛṣṭaṃ tiṣṭhatu taddūraṃ viṣādapyadhikaṃ kaṭu | tattvayā vādiyanmaṃtrairauṣadhairnopaśāmyati

Translation

ആ ‘മികച്ച അന്നം’ ദൂരെയിരിക്കട്ടെ; നീ പറഞ്ഞത് വിഷത്തേക്കാൾ പോലും അധികം കയ്പ്പുള്ളതാണ്. നീ മന്ത്രങ്ങളും ഔഷധങ്ങളും പ്രയോഗിച്ചാലും അത് ശമിക്കുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• मृष्टम्: the delicacy; tasty food
• मृष्टम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृष्ट (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (अत्र) ‘मृष्टान्नम्’ इत्यस्य संक्षेपः

• तिष्ठतु: let it remain
• तिष्ठतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) → तिष्ठतु
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तत्-दूरम्: far away (that)
• तत्-दूरम्: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (‘तत्’ विशेषणम् + ‘दूरम्’), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः (adverbial accusative: ‘far away’)

• विषात्: than poison
• विषात्: Apadana (Ablative comparison/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘even/also’)

• अधिकम्: more; greater
• अधिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तुलनावाचक-विशेषणम्

• कटु: bitter; pungent
• कटु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कटु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गुणविशेषणम्

• तत्: that (thing)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (अत्र) विषय-निर्देशः

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुषार्थे सर्वनाम; तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• वादि-यत्: being uttered (by you)
• वादि-यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वद् (धातु) → वादि (शतृ/वर्तमानकृदन्त-आधार) + यत् (सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय/यत्-शब्दः)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त-प्रयोगः (present-participial sense: ‘uttering’); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (पाठभेदे ‘वदन्’ अपेक्षितम्)

• मंत्रैः: by mantras
• मंत्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• औषधैः: by medicines; herbs
• औषधैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: औषध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• उपशाम्यति: is calmed; subsides
• उपशाम्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शम् (धातु) + उप (उपसर्ग) → उपशाम्यति
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Nāgas (Kādraveyas) (replying with reluctance/objection)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nāgas confront Kadrū: their hoods flared, eyes resolute; the ‘sweet food’ imagery fades, replaced by a dark aura symbolizing bitter adharma; mantras and herbs shown as futile symbols beside the moral wound.

Characters & Entities

• Kadrū
• Nāgas (Kādraveyas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wrongdoing is intrinsically corrosive; ritual or technique cannot cleanse a willful breach of truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None named; the emphasis is ethical rather than geographical in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription; it states that mantras and medicines cannot ‘pacify’ the bitterness of the proposed act.