Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

स्त्रीघ्नं गोघ्नं च मित्रघ्नं कूटशाल्मलिपादपे । उल्लंबय चिरंकालमूर्ध्वपादमधोमुखम्

Transliteration

strīghnaṃ goghnaṃ ca mitraghnaṃ kūṭaśālmalipādape | ullaṃbaya ciraṃkālamūrdhvapādamadhomukham

Translation

സ്ത്രീഹന്താവിനെയും ഗോഹന്താവിനെയും മിത്രഘാതകനെയും കൂടശാൽമലി വൃക്ഷത്തിൽ ദീർഘകാലം തലകീഴായി തൂക്കിയിടുക.

Word by Word

• स्त्रीघ्नम्: woman-killer
• स्त्रीघ्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री + घ्न (प्रातिपदिक; घ्न = हन्-धातुज कृत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्त्रियाः घ्नः)

• गोघ्नम्: cow-killer
• गोघ्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + घ्न (प्रातिपदिक; घ्न = हन्-धातुज कृत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गवां घ्नः)

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

• मित्रघ्नम्: friend-killer
• मित्रघ्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र + घ्न (प्रातिपदिक; घ्न = हन्-धातुज कृत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मित्रस्य घ्नः)

• कूटशाल्मलिपादपे: on/at the Kūṭa-śālmalī tree
• कूटशाल्मलिपादपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूट + शाल्मलि + पादप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (कूटः शाल्मलिः इव पादपः / कूट-शाल्मलि-नामकः पादपः)

• उल्लम्बय: hang (him) up
• उल्लम्बय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + लम्ब् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; causative sense not intended, simple imperative ‘hang/suspend’

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिर (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-नपुंसक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• कालम्: time (duration)
• कालम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कालम्’ कालावधि-निर्देशे (accusative of duration)

• ऊर्ध्वपादम्: with feet upward
• ऊर्ध्वपादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊर्ध्व + पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (ऊर्ध्वाः पादाः यस्य)

• अधोमुखम्: face downward
• अधोमुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधस् + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (अधो मुखं यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa, Skanda → Agastya dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A terrifying yamadūta scene: a condemned sinner suspended upside-down from a deceptive śālmalī-like tree, limbs strained, in a dim infernal grove; Yama’s attendants point to the罪: woman-slaying, cow-slaying, friend-slaying.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī
• Naraka
• Śālmalī (tree imagery)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Grave हिंसा (violence)—especially against women, cows, and trusted friends—destroys dharma and yields severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where dharma and its fruits (including naraka descriptions) are taught as part of Kāśī’s sacred teaching landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the verse functions as a dharma-warning through karmic consequence.