Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44
Devanagari script
यज्ञः पलायितो दृष्टः केनचिन्मृगरूपधृक् । शिरोविरहितश्चक्रे तेन चक्रेण दूरतः
Transliteration
yajñaḥ palāyito dṛṣṭaḥ kenacinmṛgarūpadhṛk | śirovirahitaścakre tena cakreṇa dūrataḥ
Translation
人身化的祭祀之神“耶阇那”(Yajña)被见到逃遁，化作鹿形；有人一击使其断首，并以那一斩将其远远驱逐。
Word by Word
यज्ञःthe sacrifice (personified)
यज्ञः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootयज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)
पलायितःfled
पलायितः:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootपलायित (कृदन्त; √पलाय् (धातु) + क्त)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; ‘यज्ञः’ इति विशेषणम् (Past participle; Masculine, Nominative, Singular)
दृष्टःseen
दृष्टः:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootदृष्ट (कृदन्त; √दृश् (धातु) + क्त)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; ‘यज्ञः’ इति विशेषणम् (Past participle; Masculine, Nominative, Singular)
केनचित्by someone
केनचित्:
Karana/Agent (Instrumental agent/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootक (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम-शब्दः; पुल्लिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्; ‘चित्’ निपात-युक्तम् (Pronoun; Masculine, Instrumental, Singular; with enclitic cit = ‘someone’)
मृगdeer
मृग:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeNoun
Rootमृग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे प्रातिपदिकम्; (Stem; first member of compound)
रूपform
रूप:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeNoun
Rootरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रातिपदिकम्; (Stem; middle member of compound)
धृक्bearing a deer-form
धृक्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootधृक् (कृदन्त; √धृ (धातु) क्विप्)
Formक्विप्-प्रत्ययान्त (धृक् = धारयन्); पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मृगरूपधृक् = holding the form of a deer) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)
शिरःhead
शिरः:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeNoun
Rootशिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रातिपदिकम्; (Stem; first member of compound)
विरहितःheadless
विरहितः:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootविरहित (कृदन्त; वि- + √रह् (धातु) + क्त)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; समासः नञ्/उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (शिरो-विरहित = without head) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)
चक्रेhe made/did
चक्रे:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√कृ (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect); आत्मनेपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम् (Perfect; Middle; 3rd person singular)
तेनwith that
तेन:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम-शब्दः; पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम् (Pronoun; Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)
चक्रेणwith the discus/wheel
चक्रेण:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootचक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम् (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)
दूरतःfrom afar
दूरतः:
Desha-adhikarana (Place/देशाधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootदूरतः (अव्यय)
Formदेशवाचक-अव्ययम् (Adverb of place)
Speaker
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: The personified Yajña bolts away as a deer; a pursuer strikes, and the deer becomes headless—its severed head implied off-frame—while the body is driven far, dust rising behind.
Characters & Entities
Y
Yajña (personified)M
mṛga (deer)FAQs
Sacrifice that abandons its true ‘head’—right worship and humility—becomes directionless and is scattered.
No specific Kāśī tīrtha is named in this verse; it is an illustrative myth within Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s Śaiva frame.
None; it is a mythic depiction of yajña’s failure when severed from proper devotion.