Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

मुसलोलूखले वैश्यं कंडयैनं पुनःपुनः । शूद्रं द्विजावमंतारं द्विजाग्रे मंचसेविनम्

Transliteration

musalolūkhale vaiśyaṃ kaṃḍayainaṃ punaḥpunaḥ | śūdraṃ dvijāvamaṃtāraṃ dvijāgre maṃcasevinam

Translation

മുസലോലൂഖല നരകത്തിൽ ആ വൈശ്യനെ വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും ചുരണ്ടി പീഡിപ്പിക്കുക; ദ്വിജരെ അപമാനിക്കുകയും ബ്രാഹ്മണരുടെ മുമ്പിൽ കട്ടിലിൽ ഇരിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്ന ശൂദ്രനെയും (ശിക്ഷിക്കുക)।

Word by Word

• musala-olūkhale: in/with pestle and mortar
• musala-olūkhale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: musala (प्रातिपदिक) + ulūkhala/olūkhala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः ‘मुसले च उलूखले च’ (एकस्मिन् अधिकरणे)

• vaiśyam: a Vaiśya
• vaiśyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kaṃḍaya: scratch/irritate (him)
• kaṃḍaya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kaṇḍ (धातु) (causative/णिच्: kaṃḍaya-)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• enam: him
• enam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• punaḥ-punaḥ: again and again
• punaḥ-punaḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय) + punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (reduplicated adverb)

• śūdram: a Śūdra
• śūdram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dvija-avamantāram: one who insults Brahmins
• dvija-avamantāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + avamantṛ (प्रातिपदिक, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिकः from ava-√man ‘to disrespect’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (कर्म-तत्पुरुषः) ‘द्विजान् अवमन्यते’

• dvija-agre: in the presence of Brahmins
• dvija-agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः) ‘द्विजेषु अग्रे/समक्षम्’

• maṃca-sevinam: one addicted to/indulging in a couch/bed
• maṃca-sevinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃca (प्रातिपदिक) + sevin (प्रातिपदिक, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिकः from √sev ‘to serve/indulge’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (कर्म-तत्पुरुषः) ‘मञ्चं सेवते’

Speaker

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

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A hell named Musalolūkhala appears as a vast mortar-and-pestle chamber; attendants scrape a suffering vaiśya repeatedly. Nearby, a śūdra who mocked dvijas is shown seated arrogantly on a couch before brāhmaṇas, then dragged down for punishment—an ethical ‘before/after’ contrast.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī
• Naraka
• Musalolūkhala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic dharma stresses maryādā (social-spiritual restraint) and respect; contempt and arrogance are shown as causes of downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is delivered within Kāśī’s sacred narrative setting; the verse itself is not a tirtha-stuti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a behavioral injunction framed via naraka imagery.