Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

सर्वेतनुभृतस्तुल्या यदि बुद्ध्या विचार्यते । इदं निश्चित्य केनापि नो हिंस्यः कोपि कुत्रचित्

Transliteration

sarvetanubhṛtastulyā yadi buddhyā vicāryate | idaṃ niścitya kenāpi no hiṃsyaḥ kopi kutracit

Translation

หากพิจารณาด้วยปัญญาแล้ว สรรพสัตว์ผู้มีร่างกายทั้งปวงย่อมเสมอกัน ครั้นรู้แน่ดังนี้แล้ว ไม่ควรมีผู้ใดเบียดเบียนสัตว์ใด ณ ที่ใดก็ตาม

Word by Word

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• तनुभृतः: embodied beings
• तनुभृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhṛt (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √bhṛ धातु)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (तनुं बिभ्रति = “body-bearers/embodied beings”); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तुल्याः: equal
• तुल्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (सर्वे तनुभृतः इत्यस्य)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-सम्बन्धबोधक (conditional conjunction: “if”)

• बुद्ध्या: by intellect
• बुद्ध्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• विचार्यते: is considered/reflected upon
• विचार्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (धातु) उपसर्गः vi-; विचार्यते (passive)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• निश्चित्य: having ascertained
• निश्चित्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ni-√ci (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त अव्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त-अव्यय; ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund): “having ascertained”

• केनापि: by anyone
• केनापि: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kena (सर्वनाम) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; ‘अपि’ निपात-युक्त (indefinite: “by anyone”)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• हिंस्यः: should be harmed
• हिंस्यः: Karya (Obligation/कर्तव्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hiṃsya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √hiṃs धातु, यत्)
• Form: कृदन्त; विधिलिङ्गार्थे भाव्य/कर्तव्यतावाचक (gerundive: “to be harmed”); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (कोऽपि इत्यस्य)

• कः: anyone (who)
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ka (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: even/any
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितार्थक-निपात (indefinite/emphatic particle)

• कुत्रचित्: anywhere
• कुत्रचित्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutra (अव्यय) + cit (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अनिश्चित (indefinite locative adverb: “anywhere”)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage instructs pilgrims at a Kāśī ghāṭ: humans, animals, and birds share the same space; the teacher’s gesture indicates equality and the injunction ‘do not harm’.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Discerning the equality of life leads to a universal rule: do not harm any being anywhere.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s sacred setting, but it is not tied to a single tīrtha description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A moral injunction (ahiṃsā) is given; no specific snāna/dāna/japa is stated.