Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

असौ हि ब्राह्मणो मंदो गायत्रीमपिवेदन । कामतो मत्स्यमांसानि जग्धान्येतेन दुर्धिया

Transliteration

asau hi brāhmaṇo maṃdo gāyatrīmapivedana | kāmato matsyamāṃsāni jagdhānyetena durdhiyā

Translation

Brāhmaṇa yang tumpul akal ini bahkan tidak mengetahui Gāyatrī; dan kerana dorongan nafsu, dengan kefahaman yang jahat dia memakan ikan dan daging.

Word by Word

• असौ: that (man)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/कारणबोधक (indeed/for)

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मन्दः: dull / foolish
• मन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• गायत्रीम्: the Gāyatrī (mantra)
• गायत्रीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि = ‘even/also’

• अवेदन्: did not know
• अवेदन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमा-पुरुष, एकवचन; नञर्थे (अ-आगम) = ‘न अवेदत्’

• कामतः: out of desire
• कामतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कामतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेतुवाचक/प्रयोजनवाचक (out of desire/at will)

• मत्स्यमांसानि: fish and meat
• मत्स्यमांसानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य + मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासः—मत्स्य-मांस (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व)

• जग्धानि: eaten
• जग्धानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जघ्/भक्ष् (धातु) → जग्ध (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘भक्षितानि’ इत्यर्थः

• एतेन: by this (man)
• एतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दुर्धिया: with evil intellect / foolishly
• दुर्धिया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘दुर्धी’ = दुष्टबुद्धिः

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa figure, outwardly marked but inwardly negligent, turns away from a teacher reciting Gāyatrī; nearby, he consumes fish and meat, driven by desire—set against the sanctity of Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇa
• gāyatrī
• matsya
• māṃsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It contrasts the ideal of brāhmaṇic discipline (mantra-knowledge and restraint) with desire-driven living, marking the latter as a fall from dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s larger Kāśī-centered moral narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the Gāyatrī (japa/knowledge) is presented as a baseline for brāhmaṇa conduct, though no step-by-step rite is described here.