Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

सा तत्र मृत्युं न प्राप शिवनिर्माल्यभक्षणात् । क्षेत्रादन्यत्र मरणं जातं तस्यास्तदेनसः

Transliteration

sā tatra mṛtyuṃ na prāpa śivanirmālyabhakṣaṇāt | kṣetrādanyatra maraṇaṃ jātaṃ tasyāstadenasaḥ

Translation

ശിവന്റെ നിർമാല്യം ഭക്ഷിച്ചതിനാൽ അവൾ അവിടെ (ക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ) മരണം പ്രാപിച്ചില്ല; എന്നാൽ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിന് പുറത്തു അതേ പാപഫലത്താൽ അവൾക്ക് മരണം സംഭവിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• mṛtyum: death
• mṛtyum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• prāpa: attained/met
• prāpa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prāp (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/परिपूर्णभूत (Perfect-like narrative past; here simple past sense), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदी

• śiva-nirmālya-bhakṣaṇāt: because of eating Śiva’s nirmālya
• śiva-nirmālya-bhakṣaṇāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + nirmālya (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (cause): ‘शिवस्य निर्माल्यस्य भक्षणात्’

• kṣetrāt: from the sacred area (kṣetra)
• kṣetrāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• anyatra: elsewhere
• anyatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (elsewhere)

• maraṇam: death
• maraṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• jātam: occurred
• jātam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘जातम्’ = ‘occurred’

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• tat-enasaḥ: of that sin
• tat-enasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + enas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: ‘तत् एनसः’ = ‘of that sin’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (sīmā-mahimā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni (sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A liminal scene at the edge of Kāśī: the frog remains safe within the sacred precinct; beyond the boundary marker, the atmosphere darkens and death overtakes her—illustrating the invisible line of protection.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī-kṣetra
• Śiva
• nirmālya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī grants extraordinary protection, yet violations of worship-dharma still bear consequences, especially beyond the kṣetra’s boundary.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra is portrayed as a uniquely protective sacred domain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A warning is implied: do not consume Śiva’s nirmālya; maintain purity and reverence toward offerings.