Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

तस्य वामपदं गृध्रो गृहीत्वोदपतत्ततः । मांसाशिनाऽन्य गृध्रेण तस्य युद्धमभूद्दिवि

Transliteration

tasya vāmapadaṃ gṛdhro gṛhītvodapatattataḥ | māṃsāśinā'nya gṛdhreṇa tasya yuddhamabhūddivi

Translation

Sinunggaban ng buwitre ang kanyang kaliwang paa at lumipad paitaas. Pagkaraan, sa himpapawid, sumiklab ang labanan sa pagitan ng buwitreng iyon at ng isa pang buwitreng kumakain ng laman.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• वाम: left
• वाम: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• पदम्: foot
• पदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गृध्रः: vulture
• गृध्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृध्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गृहीत्व: having seized
• गृहीत्व: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया

• उदपतत्: flew up
• उदपतत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + पत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम् (Adverb)

• मांसाशिना: by a flesh-eater
• मांसाशिना: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस + आशिन् (प्रातिपदिक); मांसाशिन् (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मांसस्य आशिन् = meat-eater)

• अन्य: another
• अन्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (गृध्रेण इति)

• गृध्रेण: by a vulture
• गृध्रेण: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृध्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अभूत्: arose/occurred
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• दिवि: in the sky
• दिवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Maheśvara (Śiva) (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (implied)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vulture snatches a severed left foot and rises into the sky; another vulture attacks midair, wings spread, talons locked, with the city-river landscape faintly below.

Characters & Entities

• vulture (gṛdhra)
• Vāhīka (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse uses stark imagery to show the vulnerability of the body and the urgency of dharma that protects one’s post-death trajectory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is praised in this line; it continues the narrative leading toward Kāśī’s salvific contrast.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; implicitly it evokes the importance of right living and proper dharma rather than bodily fate.