Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

स्वदेहाशुचिगंधेन न विरज्यति यो नरः । विरागे कारणं तस्य किमन्यदु पदिश्यते

Transliteration

svadehāśucigaṃdhena na virajyati yo naraḥ | virāge kāraṇaṃ tasya kimanyadu padiśyate

Translation

Wenn ein Mensch nicht einmal durch den üblen Geruch der Unreinheit seines eigenen Körpers entsagend wird, welche andere Ursache der Loslösung könnte man ihm noch lehren?

Word by Word

• स्व-देह-अशुचि-गन्धेन: by the impure smell of one’s own body
• स्व-देह-अशुचि-गन्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक) + अशुचि (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—स्वदेहस्य अशुचिगन्धः (one’s body’s impure smell)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• विरज्यति: becomes dispassionate/detached
• विरज्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + √रञ्ज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• नरः: man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘यः’ इत्यस्य विशेष्यः

• विरागे: in dispassion
• विरागे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• कारणम्: cause
• कारणम्: Karta/Predicate-noun (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/of that person
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative)

• अन्यत्: other
• अन्यत्: Prashna-viśeṣaṇa (Interrogative qualifier/प्रश्नविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘किम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• उ: indeed/then
• उ: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/particle)

• पदिश्यते: is taught/indicated
• पदिश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √दिश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher indicates a person recoiling from the stench of a soiled garment/body, while another remains indifferent—illustrating the rhetorical question: if this doesn’t produce detachment, what will?

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A basic awareness of bodily impurity should awaken detachment; if it does not, deeper instruction becomes difficult.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the emphasis is psychological and ethical rather than tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is given; the verse stresses inner response (vairāgya) rather than outward acts.