Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

मा देहीति च यो ब्रूयाद्गवाग्निब्राह्मणेषु च । तिर्यग्योनिशतं गत्वा चांडालेष्वभिजायते

Transliteration

mā dehīti ca yo brūyādgavāgnibrāhmaṇeṣu ca | tiryagyoniśataṃ gatvā cāṃḍāleṣvabhijāyate

Translation

Sesiapa yang berkata “jangan beri!” terhadap lembu, api suci, dan para Brāhmaṇa—setelah melalui seratus kelahiran dalam rahim makhluk binatang, dia akan lahir dalam kalangan Caṇḍāla.

Word by Word

• mā: do not
• mā: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle, esp. with optative/imperative sense)

• dehi: give
• dehi: Kriyā (Quoted speech/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• brūyāt: would say / should say
• brūyāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• gavāgni-brāhmaṇeṣu: among cows, fires, and Brahmins
• gavāgni-brāhmaṇeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (गवश्चाग्नयश्च ब्राह्मणाश्च)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• tiryag-yoni-śatam: a hundred animal births
• tiryag-yoni-śatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tiryak (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तिर्यग्योनिः + शतम् = a hundred (births) of animal-wombs)

• gatvā: having gone (through)
• gatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √gam (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• cāṃḍāleṣu: among Cāṇḍālas
• cāṃḍāleṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/state/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāṃḍāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• abhijāyate: is born (again)
• abhijāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor approaches a cow-shelter, a sacred fire altar, and a brāhmaṇa; a harsh figure says ‘mā dehi’ and is shown in a shadowed karmic vision of animal rebirths, contrasted with the luminous merit of giving in Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Agni
• Brāhmaṇa
• Gauḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Preventing righteous giving is a grave ethical fault with long karmic consequences; dharma protects generosity toward sacred supports of society.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī frames the teaching: the city’s māhātmya includes strict valuation of dāna and reverence to sacred institutions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A moral injunction: do not forbid giving/charity directed to cows, fire-rites, and Brāhmaṇas.