Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

विदारयास्य मूर्धानं करपत्रेण दारुवत् । पार्ष्णिघातैर्घ्नतास्यास्यं समुच्चूर्णय दारुणैः

Transliteration

vidārayāsya mūrdhānaṃ karapatreṇa dāruvat | pārṣṇighātairghnatāsyāsyaṃ samuccūrṇaya dāruṇaiḥ

Translation

จงผ่ากะโหลกของมันราวกับว่าเป็นท่อนไม้ โดยใช้เลื่อยมือ จงกระทืบปากของมันด้วยส้นเท้าอย่างรุนแรง และบดขยี้มันให้แหลกละเอียด

Word by Word

• vidāraya: split open
• vidāraya: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛ (दॄ/दर्) with vi- prefix; causative sense ‘split’ (विदारय)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोगः

• asya: his
• asya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mūrdhānam: head
• mūrdhānam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (मूर्धन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kara-patreṇa: with a hand-knife (blade)
• kara-patreṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (करस्य पत्रम्; ‘hand-blade/knife’)

• dāru-vat: like wood
• dāru-vat: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dāru (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (वत्)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक-प्रत्ययान्त (adverbial ‘like’)

• pārṣṇi-ghātaiḥ: with heel-blows
• pārṣṇi-ghātaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārṣṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + ghāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पार्ष्ण्या घाताः)

• ghnata: strike (you all)
• ghnata: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (हन्)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• asya: his
• asya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• āsyam: mouth/face
• āsyam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āsya (आस्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• samuccūrṇaya: crush to powder
• samuccūrṇaya: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √cūrṇ (चूर्ण्) with sam-ud- prefix; causative sense ‘pulverize’ (समुच्चूर्णय)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोगः

• dāruṇaiḥ: terrible, fierce
• dāruṇaiḥ: Karaṇa-viśeṣaṇa (Instrument qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāruṇa (दारुण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with pārṣṇighātaiḥ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A horrifying climax: the skull is split with a hand-saw as if sawing wood; then brutal heel-blows crush the mouth—an uncompromising depiction of punitive destruction.

Characters & Entities

• Karapatra (hand-saw)
• Heel-blows (pārṣṇighāta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The severity of consequence mirrors the severity of adharma; the verse aims to deter sin and cultivate moral fear and reform.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the textual setting, but this verse is not a tīrtha-glorification statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the broader Purāṇic remedy implied is prāyaścitta and devotion aligned with dharma.