Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

तार्क्ष्यस्य भक्ष्या भवत यूयं मद्वाक्यलंघनात् । जातमात्राश्च सर्पिण्यो भक्षयंतु स्वबालकान्

Transliteration

tārkṣyasya bhakṣyā bhavata yūyaṃ madvākyalaṃghanāt | jātamātrāśca sarpiṇyo bhakṣayaṃtu svabālakān

Translation

“เพราะพวกเจ้าล่วงละเมิดวาจาของเรา พวกเจ้าจักเป็นเหยื่อของตารกษยะ (ครุฑ) และขอให้งูเพศเมียทั้งหลาย ครั้นคลอดแล้วทันที จงกินลูกของตนเองเถิด”

Word by Word

• तार्क्ष्यस्य: of Tārkṣya (Garuḍa)
• तार्क्ष्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भक्ष्याः: food, prey
• भक्ष्याः: Karta-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ष्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √भक्ष् + यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• भवतः: be (become)
• भवतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• यूयम्: you (plural)
• यूयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; पुरुषवाचक सर्वनाम

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-सम्बन्धार्थक (genitive sense) अव्ययवत् रूप; ‘my’ (समासपूर्वपद)

• वाक्यलङ्घनात्: from (because of) transgressing the command
• वाक्यलङ्घनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य + लङ्घन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (cause)

• जातमात्राः: just-born
• जातमात्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (सर्पिण्यः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• सर्पिण्यः: female snakes
• सर्पिण्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्पिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• भक्षयन्तु: let (them) eat
• भक्षयन्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• स्वबालकान्: their own young ones
• स्वबालकान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मपद

Speaker

Skanda (quoting the serpent-lady’s curse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The divine lady pronounces a twofold curse: nāgas becoming prey to Garuḍa, and a horrifying inversion where serpent-mothers devour newborns; Garuḍa’s looming presence is implied in the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Tārkṣya (Garuḍa)
• Nāgas
• female serpents (sarpiṇī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Breaking a righteous command leads to severe, multi-generational consequences—an emblem of karmic fallout.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the verse continues a mythic narrative embedded in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is a pronouncement of a curse, not a ritual injunction.