Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

शरीरं वरुणो देवः संततीं श्वसनस्तथा । आयुर्नयति तस्याशु यमः संयमनो महान्

Transliteration

śarīraṃ varuṇo devaḥ saṃtatīṃ śvasanastathā | āyurnayati tasyāśu yamaḥ saṃyamano mahān

Translation

Varuṇa, der Gott, nimmt sein leibliches Wohlergehen; Vāyu raubt ihm die Nachkommenschaft; und Yama, der große Zügelnde, trägt rasch seine Lebensspanne hinweg.

Word by Word

• शरीरम्: body
• शरीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• वरुणः: Varuṇa
• वरुणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; वरुणः इति विशेष्यस्य अपि नाम/अप्पोजिशन

• संततीम्: progeny/lineage
• संततीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संतति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• श्वसनः: Vāyu (breath/wind)
• श्वसनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; वायुः

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय; 'likewise/also'

• आयुः: lifespan
• आयुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (रूपम्: आयुः); कर्मपद

• नयति: takes away/leads
• नयति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; 'leads/takes away'

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; 'of him'

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; 'quickly'

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• संयमनः: the restrainer (epithet)
• संयमनः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संयमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; यमः इति विशेषण/उपनाम

• महान्: great
• महान्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; यमः इति विशेषण

Speaker

Vyāsa (deduced: continuation of karmic consequences in the same dharma instruction)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tripartite divine judgment: Varuṇa with pāśa touches the sinner’s body (illness), Vāyu as a swift force scatters family-line symbols (a lamp/extinguished lineage), and Yama with daṇḍa draws away a life-thread, showing shortened lifespan.

Characters & Entities

• Varuṇa
• Vāyu (Śvasana)
• Yama (Saṃyamana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma—especially tampering with rightful gifts—invites multi-fold loss: health, progeny, and lifespan.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is doctrinal rather than topographical; it supports the Revā Khaṇḍa’s dharma framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it states the divine consequences that follow sinful interference with dharmic acts.