Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

अस्थिध्वजांकितं दृष्ट्वा यथा पांथा जलाशयम् । दूरं यंति तथा भस्म भालांकं यमकिंकराः

Transliteration

asthidhvajāṃkitaṃ dṛṣṭvā yathā pāṃthā jalāśayam | dūraṃ yaṃti tathā bhasma bhālāṃkaṃ yamakiṃkarāḥ

Translation

எலும்புக் கொடியால் குறிக்கப்பட்ட நீர்நிலையின் அடையாளத்தைப் பார்த்த பயணிகள் தூரம் சென்று அதனை நாடுவது போல, சாம்பல் குறியிட்ட நெற்றியைப் பார்த்த யமதூதர்கள் தூரம் விலகிச் செல்கின்றனர்।

Word by Word

• अस्थिध्वजाङ्कितम्: marked with a bone-banner emblem
• अस्थिध्वजाङ्कितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्कित (कृदन्त, √अङ्क्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (अस्थिना ध्वजेन अङ्कितम्) विशेषण (भालाङ्कम्)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having seen’

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle)

• पान्थाः: travelers
• पान्थाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पान्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• जलाशयम्: water-reservoir/pond
• जलाशयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (जलस्य आशयः)

• दूरम्: far away
• दूरम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• तथा: so/in the same way
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यतावाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• भस्म: ash
• भस्म: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (here used appositionally as qualifier)

• भालाङ्कम्: forehead-mark
• भालाङ्कम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाल (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भालस्य अङ्कः/अङ्कनम्)

• यमकिंकराः: servants of Yama
• यमकिंकराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + किंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यमस्य किंकराः)

Speaker

Tapasvī/Muni (unnamed)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka-ādi ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: on one side, travelers spot a sign for a water reservoir and move toward it; on the other, Yama’s attendants spot the ash-marked forehead and move away—two mirrored movements illustrating the simile.

Characters & Entities

• Yamakiṅkara
• Bhasma/Vibhūti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Śaiva bhasma-mark is celebrated as a decisive sign of protection, reversing fear and danger through sacred identity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader episode belongs to Kāśī’s tīrtha-mahātmya (with Vimalodaka Saras in view), where such protections are narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Keeping the forehead marked with bhasma/vibhūti as a protective observance.