Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

न चांगोद्वर्तनं कार्यं स्त्रिया विधवया क्वचित् । गंधद्रव्यस्य संयोगो नैव कार्यस्तया पुनः

Transliteration

na cāṃgodvartanaṃ kāryaṃ striyā vidhavayā kvacit | gaṃdhadravyasya saṃyogo naiva kāryastayā punaḥ

Translation

বিধৱা স্ত্ৰীয়ে কেতিয়াও দেহত অঙ্গ-উদ্বর্তন বা ঘঁহা-মলা কৰা উচিত নহয়; তদুপৰি সুগন্ধি দ্ৰব্যৰ সংযোগ, অৰ্থাৎ সুগন্ধি লেপ-ব্যৱহাৰো পুনৰ নকৰিব।

Word by Word

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

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

• aṅga-udvartanaṃ: rubbing/massage of the body
• aṅga-udvartanaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + udvartana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अङ्गस्य उद्वर्तनम्)

• kāryaṃ: to be done/should be done
• kāryaṃ: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातोः यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (to be done)

• striyā: by a woman
• striyā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental)

• vidhavayā: by a widow
• vidhavayā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; स्त्रिया इति विशेषणभावेन (as a widow)

• kvacit: ever/anywhere
• kvacit: Adhikarana (Adverbial locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: at any time/anywhere)

• gandha-dravyasya: of fragrant substances
• gandha-dravyasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + dravya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः (गन्धं द्रव्यम्)

• saṃyogaḥ: use/association/mixture
• saṃyogaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃyoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

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

• kāryaḥ: to be done
• kāryaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातोः यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (to be done)

• tayā: by her
• tayā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental pronoun)

• punaḥ: again/further
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति/पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: again/further)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A widowed devotee in simple white garments, hair unadorned, seated near a Kāśī ghat at dawn; cosmetics and perfume vessels set aside; a small tulasī and lamp before her as she turns inward to prayer.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Renunciation of sensual adornment is prescribed as a discipline of detachment and austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī Khaṇḍa context frames the teaching, but no specific tirtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoidance of body-unction/cosmetic rubbing (aṅgodvartana) and avoidance of perfumes (gandha-dravya).