Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

असिपत्रवने घोरे यंत्रपीडे सुदंष्ट्रके । अधोमुखे पूतिगंधे विष्ठागर्त्तेष्वभोजने

Transliteration

asipatravane ghore yaṃtrapīḍe sudaṃṣṭrake | adhomukhe pūtigaṃdhe viṣṭhāgartteṣvabhojane

Translation

—भयंकर असिपत्रवनात, यंत्रपीडेत, सुदंष्ट्रकात; अधोमुखात, दुर्गंधी प्रदेशात, आणि अभोजनाच्या विष्ठागर्तांत—

Word by Word

• असिपत्रवने: in Asipatravana (forest of sword-leaves)
• असिपत्रवने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि-पत्र-वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (असिपत्राणां वनम्)

• घोरे: terrible
• घोरे: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (भयङ्करे)

• यन्त्रपीडे: in Yantrapīḍā (torture by machines)
• यन्त्रपीडे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यन्त्र-पीड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (यन्त्रेण पीडा)

• सुदंष्ट्रके: in Sudamṣṭraka (hell of sharp fangs)
• सुदंष्ट्रके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-दंष्ट्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (सु + दंष्ट्रकः)

• अधोमुखे: in Adhomukha (down-faced hell)
• अधोमुखे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधो-मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (अधः मुखं यस्मिन्)

• पूतिगन्धे: in Pūtigandha (foul-smelling hell)
• पूतिगन्धे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूति-गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (पूतिः गन्धः)

• विष्ठागर्तेषु: in the pits of excrement
• विष्ठागर्तेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्ठा-गर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विष्ठायाः गर्तः)

• अभोजने: in Abojana (non-food/fasting hell)
• अभोजने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—नञ्-तत्पुरुष (भोजनं न)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī) as implied refuge

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience within Kāśī-khaṇḍa frame (not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence of infernal tableaux: a forest of sword-leaves (Asipatravana), crushing contraptions (yantra-pīḍā), beasts with terrible fangs (Sudaṃṣṭraka), sinners hanging upside down (Adhomukha), a reeking domain (Pūtigandha), and dung-pits where food is denied (Abhojana).

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Naraka realms: Asipatravana
• Yaṃtrapīḍa
• Sudaṃṣṭraka
• Adhomukha
• Abhojana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa underscores moral causality by depicting vivid realms of suffering as the fruit of cruelty and adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is praised in this verse; it continues the naraka enumeration within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly.