Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

न मत्स्या नैव कमठा न वराहाश्च केनचित् । हन्यंते क्वापि तद्भीत्या मत्स्यमांसाशिनापि वै

Transliteration

na matsyā naiva kamaṭhā na varāhāśca kenacit | hanyaṃte kvāpi tadbhītyā matsyamāṃsāśināpi vai

Translation

ในแว่นแคว้นของพระองค์ ไม่เคยมีผู้ใดฆ่าปลา เต่า หรือหมูป่า ณ ที่ใดเลย ด้วยความเกรงกลัวต่อพระราชอำนาจ แม้ผู้ที่เคยกินปลาและเนื้อก็ยังละเว้น

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• matsyāḥ: fish
• matsyāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: matsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• kamaṭhāḥ: tortoises
• kamaṭhāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kamaṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• varāhāḥ: boars
• varāhāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kenacit: by anyone
• kenacit: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रयोग (indefinite)

• hanyante: are killed
• hanyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• kvāpi: anywhere
• kvāpi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (adverb) + अनिश्चितार्थक-निपात (particle)

• tadbhītyā: due to fear of that (i.e., of him/that)
• tadbhītyā: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + bhīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): तस्य भिःति = तद्भीति

• matsyamāṃsāśinā: by a fish-meat-eater
• matsyamāṃsāśinā: Karana (Agent in passive/Instrumental of agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: matsya (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + āśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मत्स्य-मांसस्य आशी = मत्स्यमांसाशी (fish-meat-eater)

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: even/also)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, typically Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined, peaceful kingdom under King Mitrajit: fishermen lower nets, hunters set down weapons; fish, tortoises, and boars move unharmed near riverbanks and forest edges, while citizens observe the king’s edicts.

Characters & Entities

• Matsya
• Kamaṭha
• Varāha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A righteous, God-centered rule naturally establishes ahiṃsā (non-violence), even restraining habitual harm-doers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Kāśī-kṣetra (Vārāṇasī) context of Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where dharma flourishes under sacred influence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse highlights ethical restraint (non-killing) as a fruit of dharmic governance.