Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

कस्य वा पृष्ठमांसानि भक्षितानि मया क्वचित् । कच्चिच्च त्रिदशाधीष ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषतः

Transliteration

kasya vā pṛṣṭhamāṃsāni bhakṣitāni mayā kvacit | kaccicca tridaśādhīṣa brāhmaṇasya viśeṣataḥ

Translation

ഹേ ത്രിദശാധീശാ! ഞാൻ ഒരിക്കലും ആരുടെയെങ്കിലും പുറംമാംസം ഭക്ഷിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടോ? തീർച്ചയായും ഇല്ല—പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ഒരു ബ്രാഹ്മണന്റേതെങ്കിൽ ഒരിക്കലുമില്ല!

Word by Word

• कस्य: of whom
• कस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• पृष्ठमांसानि: back-flesh (meat of the back)
• पृष्ठमांसानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृष्ठ + मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (पृष्ठस्य मांसानि)

• भक्षितानि: eaten
• भक्षितानि: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु) → भक्षित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; agrees with मांसानि

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• क्वचित्: ever/at any time
• क्वचित्: Adhikarana (Adverbial location/time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक अव्यय (indefinite adverb: 'ever/anywhere/at some time')

• कच्चित्: is it possible that...?
• कच्चित्: Prashna (Particle/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative particle: 'surely? is it the case that...?')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (and)

• त्रिदशाधीष: O ruler of the gods
• त्रिदशाधीष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश + अधीश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रिदशानाम् अधीशः)

• ब्राह्मणस्य: of a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारार्थक अव्यय (especially/particularly)

Speaker

A righteous king (addressing Indra/Tridaśādhīśa in supplication within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tridaśādhīśa (Lord of the Gods)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn oath-like declaration before the Lord of the Gods: the speaker denies ever committing monstrous violence—eating another’s back-flesh—especially of a brāhmaṇa; imagery leans symbolic (dark temptation rejected, light of dharma affirmed).

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Tridaśādhīśa (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It dramatizes the horror of violence and the special gravity of harming brāhmaṇas; ahimsā and reverence for the virtuous uphold dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions within a tīrtha-mahātmya chapter but does not name a pilgrimage site in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical negation of cruelty and a reaffirmation of brāhmaṇa-safety as dharma.