Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

रोमकूपाणि चैव स्युर्द्वादशैते मलाश्रयाः । हृत्पद्मप्रतिबद्धाश्च सर्वा नाड्यः समंततः

Transliteration

romakūpāṇi caiva syurdvādaśaite malāśrayāḥ | hṛtpadmapratibaddhāśca sarvā nāḍyaḥ samaṃtataḥ

Translation

And the hair-pores too are among these—these twelve are the abodes of impurities. All the nāḍīs (channels), bound to the lotus of the heart, spread throughout on every side.

Word by Word

• romakūpāṇi: hair-pores
• romakūpāṇi: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: roma (प्रातिपदिक) + kūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (nominative plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘रोम्णः कूपाः’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle of emphasis)

• syuḥ: would be / are said to be
• syuḥ: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (optative, 3rd pl)

• dvādaśa: twelve
• dvādaśa: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśan (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; प्रथमा, बहुवचनार्थे (numeral used predicatively)

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (nominative plural)

• malāśrayāḥ: abodes of impurities
• malāśrayāḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mala (प्रातिपदिक) + āśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘मलानाम् आश्रयाः’)

• hṛtpadma-pratibaddhāḥ: bound to the heart-lotus
• hṛtpadma-pratibaddhāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hṛt (प्रातिपदिक) + padma (प्रातिपदिक) + pratibaddha (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √bandh)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘हृत्पद्मे प्रतिबद्धाः’); भूतकृदन्त

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (nominative plural)

• nāḍyaḥ: channels (nāḍīs)
• nāḍyaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāḍī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (nominative plural)

• samantataḥ: on all sides / throughout
• samantataḥ: Adhikarana (Scope)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous heart-lotus at the center of the chest, with countless nāḍīs radiating outward like fine golden threads; hair-pores and bodily outlets subtly indicated as impurity-abodes at the periphery.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It contrasts inner subtle channels with outer impurity, urging purification and inward turning toward the heart-centered spiritual path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No sthala-māhātmya appears here; it is a yogic-physiological description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse supports the broader dharmic value of śauca and inner discipline.