Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

परप्राणैस्तु ये प्राणान्स्वान्पुष्णं ति हि दुर्धियः । आकल्पं नरकान्भुक्त्वा ते भुज्यंतेत्र तैः पुनः

Transliteration

paraprāṇaistu ye prāṇānsvānpuṣṇaṃ ti hi durdhiyaḥ | ākalpaṃ narakānbhuktvā te bhujyaṃtetra taiḥ punaḥ

Translation

那些恶慧之人以夺他命来养己命；受尽一劫诸地狱之后，复在此世被那些众生反噬吞食。

Word by Word

• परप्राणैः: by others’ life-breaths
• परप्राणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (by others’ lives)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• प्राणान्: life-breaths
• प्राणान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• स्वान्: their own
• स्वान्: Visheshana (Qualifier of प्राणान्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; स्वकीयवाचक विशेषण

• पुष्णन्ति: nourish/sustain
• पुष्णन्ति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), निश्चये/हेतौ

• दुर्धियः: evil-minded ones
• दुर्धियः: Apposition to ये (Karta)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (of bad intellect)

• आकल्पम्: for a whole kalpa
• आकल्पम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time extent)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग) + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावार्थे अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; ‘आ’ उपसर्गपूर्वकं कालावधि-अव्ययम् (up to the end of a kalpa)

• नरकान्: hells
• नरकान्: Karma (Object of भुक्त्वा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• भुक्त्वा: having undergone
• भुक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having experienced/undergone)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• भुज्यन्ते: are eaten/are consumed
• भुज्यन्ते: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana/Karta (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Discourse/Adverbial
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्तिवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic justice vision: violent humans feeding on others’ lives are shown first in naraka, then reborn into a world where they are devoured—illustrating the reversal of predator and prey.

Characters & Entities

• naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karma is reciprocal: sustaining oneself through others’ death leads to long suffering and eventual reversal—being consumed in return.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting frames the teaching, implying Kāśī’s dharma-centered ethos; no single tirtha is named in the verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied discipline: abstain from harming beings for food; no formal rite is described.