Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

मानुष्यान्न परं कष्टं वैरिणां नो भवेद्धि तत् । शोकस्थानसहस्राणि मनुष्यस्य क्षणेक्षणे

Transliteration

mānuṣyānna paraṃ kaṣṭaṃ vairiṇāṃ no bhaveddhi tat | śokasthānasahasrāṇi manuṣyasya kṣaṇekṣaṇe

Translation

No hay sufrimiento mayor que el de ser humano; en verdad, ni siquiera los enemigos desearían eso para alguien. Pues el ser humano tiene miles de moradas de pena, instante tras instante.

Word by Word

• मानुष्यात्: than a human (condition)
• मानुष्यात्: Apadana (Comparison/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; 'मानुष्यान् न' इति पाठे सन्ध्यन्तरं, अर्थतः 'मानुष्यात् न'

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात

• परम्: greater
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण (कष्टम्)

• कष्टम्: misery/hardship
• कष्टम्: Karta (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• वैरिणाम्: of enemies
• वैरिणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vairin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• नः: for us/our
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naḥ (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अस्मद्-शब्द, षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (Gen/Dat), बहुवचन; अत्र षष्ठी: 'our/for us' (पाठे 'नो' इति)

• भवेत्: would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (indeed/for)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• शोकस्थानसहस्राणि: thousands of places for sorrow
• शोकस्थानसहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoka + sthāna + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन; समास: शोकस्य स्थानानि (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + सहस्र (संख्यावाचक)

• मनुष्यस्य: of a man/human
• मनुष्यस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• क्षणे: at a moment
• क्षणे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समस्तपदस्य पूर्वाङ्ग

• क्षणे: at (each) moment
• क्षणे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (क्षणे-क्षणे)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A human figure surrounded by many small vignettes of grief—loss, illness, fear, aging—like a garland of ‘thousand sorrow-stations’; above, a calm ascetic points toward a path of release.

Characters & Entities

• Human being (manuṣya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It emphasizes the fragility and sorrow-laden nature of worldly human life, encouraging dispassion and a turn toward dharma and liberation-oriented aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.