Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

यक्षिणी काचिदानीय रुदंतं कस्यचिच्छिशुम् । अपिबद्रुधिरं कोष्ठाच्चखादास्थि मृणालवत्

Transliteration

yakṣiṇī kācidānīya rudaṃtaṃ kasyacicchiśum | apibadrudhiraṃ koṣṭhāccakhādāsthi mṛṇālavat

Translation

นางยักษิณีตนหนึ่งนำทารกที่กำลังร้องไห้ของใครบางคนมา นางดื่มเลือดจากท้องของทารกและเคี้ยวกระดูกราวกับว่าเป็นก้านบัว

Word by Word

• यक्षिणी: a yakṣiṇī (female nature-spirit)
• यक्षिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्षिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• काचित्: some (woman)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक

• आनीय: having brought
• आनीय: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-नी (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-प्रायः ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समर्थ अव्यय (gerund) — having brought

• रुदन्तम्: crying
• रुदन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुद् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘शिशुम्’

• कस्यचित्: of someone
• कस्यचित्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कस्यचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक

• शिशुम्: child, infant
• शिशुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपिबत्: drank
• अपिबत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• रुधिरम्: blood
• रुधिरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कोष्ठात्: from the belly/torso
• कोष्ठात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• चखाद: ate
• चखाद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खाद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अस्थि: bone
• अस्थि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मृणालवत्: like a lotus-stalk
• मृणालवत्: Kriya-viseshana (Simile adverb/उपमाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मृणाल + वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक-तद्धितान्त ‘-वत्’ (like/as)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) speaking to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yakṣiṇī, fierce and unearthly, holds a crying infant; in a ghastly act she drinks blood from the belly and gnaws bones like lotus-stalks—an image of utter adharma meant to horrify and awaken compassion.

Characters & Entities

• Yakṣiṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa uses extreme horror-imagery to depict spiritual intimidation; the deeper teaching is to seek refuge in dharma and the Lord amid fear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī as the overarching sacred landscape in which such illusory terrors are narrated to magnify the city’s spiritual potency.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative description.