Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

पश्य जानुप्रदेशं मे द्व्यंगुलं रोमवर्जितम् । जातं वपुस्तद्बिभेमि मर्तव्ये सति किं गृहैः

Transliteration

paśya jānupradeśaṃ me dvyaṃgulaṃ romavarjitam | jātaṃ vapustadbibhemi martavye sati kiṃ gṛhaiḥ

Translation

“Look near my knee: for two finger-breadths it has become devoid of hair. Seeing this change in my body, I grow afraid. When death is certain, what use are houses and possessions?”

Word by Word

• पश्य: see/look
• पश्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• जानुप्रदेशम्: the knee-region
• जानुप्रदेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जानु + प्रदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—जानोः प्रदेशः (region of the knee)

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Gen./Dat.), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक (enclitic)

• द्व्यङ्गुलम्: two-finger-breadths (wide)
• द्व्यङ्गुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि + अङ्गुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (measure); समासः—द्वे अङ्गुले (two finger-breadths)

• रोमवर्जितम्: devoid of hair
• रोमवर्जितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रोम + वर्जित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; समासः—रोमभिः वर्जितम् (devoid of hair)

• जातम्: has become/occurred
• जातम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वपुः: body
• वपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बिभेमि: I fear
• बिभेमि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भी (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मर्तव्ये: when death is inevitable
• मर्तव्ये: Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृ (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligation), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘मर्तव्यम्’ (to be died)

• सति: when/while (it) is
• सति: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: सत्-प्रत्ययान्त (present participle) सप्तमी-एकवचन, लोके सप्तमी (locative absolute)

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

• गृहैः: with houses/home (possessions)
• गृहैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Lomaśa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indradyumna

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lomaśa points to a small hairless patch near his knee (two finger-breadths), his face showing sober fear; the king listens; the scene is intimate, emphasizing the body as memento mori.

Characters & Entities

• Lomaśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Awareness of mortality should awaken detachment and redirect one’s effort from possession to dharma and spiritual aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is cited in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse urges inner renunciation rather than external accumulation.