Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

मसृणो मत्तकाशिन्याश्चोत्तरोष्ठः सुभोगदः । किंचिन्मध्योन्नतोऽरोमा विपरीतो विरुद्धकृत्

Transliteration

masṛṇo mattakāśinyāścottaroṣṭhaḥ subhogadaḥ | kiṃcinmadhyonnato'romā viparīto viruddhakṛt

Translation

Eine glatte Oberlippe, die in lebendigem Glanz erstrahlt, verleiht gutes Genießen und Behagen. Ist sie jedoch in der Mitte etwas erhoben, haarlos und missgestaltet (der rechten Form entgegen), so heißt es, sie führe zu Widerstand und zu unrechtem Tun.

Word by Word

• masṛṇaḥ: smooth
• masṛṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: masṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mattakāśinyāḥ: of the brightly shining (woman)
• mattakāśinyāḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: matta-kāśinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः matta ‘intoxicated’ + kāśinī ‘shining’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• uttaroṣṭhaḥ: upper lip
• uttaroṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttara + oṣṭha (प्रातिपदिकसमूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘उत्तरः ओष्ठः’

• subhogadaḥ: giver of good enjoyment
• subhogadaḥ: Predicative complement
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-bhoga + da (प्रातिपदिकसमूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘सुभोगं ददाति’

• kiṃcit: somewhat
• kiṃcit: Viśeṣaṇa (degree)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक (indefinite adverb: ‘somewhat’)

• madhya: middle
• madhya: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (समासाङ्ग)

• unnataḥ: raised
• unnataḥ: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√nam (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/ta), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग-रूप)

• aromā: hairless
• aromā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-romān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषः a- + romān/roma ‘hair’

• kiṃcinmadhyunnataḥ: raised a little in the middle
• kiṃcinmadhyunnataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (of uttaroṣṭhaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kiṃcit + madhya + unnata (प्रातिपदिकसमूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अव्ययपूर्वपद-समासः ‘किंचित्’ + (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष) madhyonnata

• viparītaḥ: reversed / contrary
• viparītaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viparīta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• viruddha: opposed / hostile
• viruddha: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viruddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (समासाङ्ग)

• kṛt: doer / maker
• kṛt: Predicative complement
• Type: Noun
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + t (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय ‘कृत्’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक

• viruddhakṛt: one who acts antagonistically
• viruddhakṛt: Predicative complement
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viruddha + kṛt (प्रातिपदिकसमूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘विरुद्धं करोति’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda instructing Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm, luminous upper lip signifying comfort and refined enjoyment; contrasted with a subtly ‘contrary’ shape indicating opposition—rendered symbolically rather than anatomically harsh.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (context)
• Skanda (context)
• Agastya (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gentle, balanced traits are linked with well-being, while distorted traits are associated with conflict—an ethical symbolism common in Purāṇic lakṣaṇa lore.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s instructional material.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual act is stated in this verse.