Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

अजाश्वयोर्मुखं मेध्यं गावो मेध्यास्तु पृष्ठतः । पादतो ब्राह्मणा मेध्याः स्त्रियो मेध्यास्तु सर्वतः

Transliteration

ajāśvayormukhaṃ medhyaṃ gāvo medhyāstu pṛṣṭhataḥ | pādato brāhmaṇā medhyāḥ striyo medhyāstu sarvataḥ

Translation

สำหรับแพะและม้า ปากเป็นเมธยะ (บริสุทธิ์ตามพิธี); สำหรับโค หลังเป็นที่บริสุทธิ์; สำหรับพราหมณ์ เท้าเป็นที่บริสุทธิ์; ส่วนสตรีนั้นเป็นเมธยะโดยรอบทุกประการ

Word by Word

• अजाश्वयोः: of the goat and the horse
• अजाश्वयोः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजा- अश्व (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (अजा च अश्वः च)

• मुखम्: the mouth
• मुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मेध्यम्: pure/fit for sacrifice
• मेध्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (मुखम्)

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मेध्याः: pure
• मेध्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (गावः)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• पृष्ठतः: from the back/behind
• पृष्ठतः: Desha (Adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृष्ठतः (अव्यय; पृष्ठ-तस्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• पादतः: from the feet
• पादतः: Desha (Adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पादतः (अव्यय; पाद-तस्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मेध्याः: pure
• मेध्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ब्राह्मणाः)

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मेध्याः: pure
• मेध्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (स्त्रियः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• सर्वतः: from all sides/entirely
• सर्वतः: Desha (Adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः (अव्यय; सर्व-तस्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic panel showing a cow with highlighted back, a horse and goat with highlighted mouths, a brāhmaṇa with highlighted feet, and a woman depicted as fully radiant—illustrating ritual ‘mēdhya’ loci as an instructional diagram in a dharma discourse.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Cow
• Horse
• Goat

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It asserts a dharmic taxonomy of purity, culminating in the claim of comprehensive ritual purity for women.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred frame (Kāśīkhaṇḍa), though the verse is doctrinal rather than geographical.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A rule of ritual classification (medhya/śuddhi) is provided for different beings/body-parts.