Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

हनुश्चिबुकसंलग्ना निर्लोमा सुघनाशुभा । वक्रा स्थूला कृशा ह्रस्वा रोमशा न शुभप्रदा

Transliteration

hanuścibukasaṃlagnā nirlomā sughanāśubhā | vakrā sthūlā kṛśā hrasvā romaśā na śubhapradā

Translation

A jaw well joined to the chin—hairless, firm, and compact—is auspicious. But a jaw that is crooked, overly thick, too thin, too short, or hairy is not a giver of good fortune.

Word by Word

• hanuḥ: jaw
• hanuḥ: Adhikaraṇa/Viṣaya (topic described)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• cibukasaṃlagnā: joined to the chin
• cibukasaṃlagnā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cibuka (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃlagna (प्रातिपदिक; sam + √lag धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (cibuke saṃlagnā = ‘attached to the chin’)

• nirlomā: hairless
• nirlomā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir (उपसर्ग) + loma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sughanāśubhā: very dense and inauspicious
• sughanāśubhā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + ghana (प्रातिपदिक) + aśubhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (sughanā ca aśubhā ca)

• vakrā: crooked
• vakrā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sthūlā: thick
• sthūlā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kṛśā: thin; emaciated
• kṛśā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• hrasvā: short
• hrasvā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hrasva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• romaśā: hairy
• romaśā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: romaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• śubhapradā: auspicious-giving
• śubhapradā: Viśeṣaṇa (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक) + pradā (प्रातिपदिक; √dā धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Didactic portrait-style scene emphasizing facial harmony: the teacher indicates the jawline’s ‘well-joined’ form; a calm, symmetrical face is shown as exemplar; background suggests Kāśī shrine precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It reinforces the traditional belief that external harmony mirrors inner and karmic order, encouraging a dharmic, disciplined life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is embedded in the Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered narrative environment, but it does not directly praise a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.