Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

पीवराभ्यां च जत्रुभ्यां धनधान्यनिधिर्वधूः । श्लथास्थिभ्यां च निम्नाभ्यां विषमाभ्यां दरिद्रिणी

Transliteration

pīvarābhyāṃ ca jatrubhyāṃ dhanadhānyanidhirvadhūḥ | ślathāsthibhyāṃ ca nimnābhyāṃ viṣamābhyāṃ daridriṇī

Translation

A bride whose collarbone region is full and well formed becomes a treasure-house of wealth and grain; but one whose bones are loose, whose features are sunken, and whose form is uneven is said to bear the mark of poverty.

Word by Word

• pīvarābhyāṃ: by fleshy/stout
• pīvarābhyāṃ: Hetu (Cause/Characteristic)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Dual

• ca: and
• ca: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• jatrubhyāṃ: by the collarbones
• jatrubhyāṃ: Hetu (Cause/Characteristic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jatru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Dual

• dhanadhānyanidhiḥ: treasure of wealth and grain
• dhanadhānyanidhiḥ: Vidheya (Predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanadhānyanidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• vadhūḥ: woman/bride
• vadhūḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vadhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• ślathāsthibhyāṃ: by loose-boned
• ślathāsthibhyāṃ: Hetu (Cause/Characteristic)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ślathāsthi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Dual

• ca: and
• ca: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• nimnābhyāṃ: by depressed/sunken
• nimnābhyāṃ: Hetu (Cause/Characteristic)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nimna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Dual

• viṣamābhyāṃ: by uneven
• viṣamābhyāṃ: Hetu (Cause/Characteristic)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Dual

• daridriṇī: poor/impoverished
• daridriṇī: Vidheya (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daridrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic setting in Kāśī: a learned narrator describing auspicious and inauspicious bodily signs of a bride, with symbolic motifs of overflowing granaries versus empty vessels to indicate dhana-dhānya and daridratā.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames outer signs as traditional indicators of karma and household fortune, urging discernment and dharmic responsibility in family life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader discourse belongs to the Kāśī Khaṇḍa, centered on Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), though this verse itself focuses on lakṣaṇa (omens) rather than a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is prescribed in this verse; it is descriptive (lakṣaṇa-śāstra style).