Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

अच्छिन्ना तर्जनीं व्याप्य तथा रेखास्य दृश्यते । कनिष्ठा पृष्ठनिर्याता दीर्घायुष्यं यथार्पयेत्

Transliteration

acchinnā tarjanīṃ vyāpya tathā rekhāsya dṛśyate | kaniṣṭhā pṛṣṭhaniryātā dīrghāyuṣyaṃ yathārpayet

Translation

Wenn eine ununterbrochene Linie über den Zeigefinger hinweg sichtbar ist und die Linie des kleinen Fingers zur Handrückenseite hinausläuft, so heißt es, dies verleihe ihm langes Leben.

Word by Word

• अच्छिन्ना: unbroken
• अच्छिन्ना: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद् (धातु) + न (क्त) ; अ- (निषेध)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त 'छिन्न' with privative अ- = unbroken; (रेखा इति विशेषणम्)

• तर्जनीम्: the index finger
• तर्जनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्जनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• व्याप्य: having covered
• व्याप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि√आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययः)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund): 'having pervaded/covering'

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• रेखा: a line
• रेखा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this (person)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive: 'is seen')

• कनिष्ठा: (the) little-finger (line)
• कनिष्ठा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनिष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (रेखा इत्यर्थे/कनिष्ठाङ्गुलिसम्बद्धा रेखा)

• पृष्ठनिर्याता: issuing from the back (of the hand)
• पृष्ठनिर्याता: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + नि√या (धातु) + क्त (क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः 'पृष्ठ-निर्याता' = going out from the back (of the hand); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

• दीर्घायुष्यम्: long life
• दीर्घायुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'दीर्घं आयुष्यं'

• यथा: as/so that
• यथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (as, so that)

• अर्पयेत्: would bestow/indicate
• अर्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्पय् (नामधातु/धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थः: 'would bestow/indicate'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of a hand in lamplight: an unbroken line crossing the index finger and a line from the little finger extending toward the back; a sage points with a kusha tip while Gaṅgā’s shimmer appears blurred behind.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Longevity is presented as a karmic fruit, recognized through auspicious signs rather than claimed through mere desire.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśī-khaṇḍa context, but it does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a descriptive omen-like teaching about bodily marks.