Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

किं सुरूपं कुरूपं वा यदा भेदो न दृश्यते । तारतम्यं सुरूपत्वे सततं भिन्नदर्शनात्

Transliteration

kiṃ surūpaṃ kurūpaṃ vā yadā bhedo na dṛśyate | tāratamyaṃ surūpatve satataṃ bhinnadarśanāt

Translation

Qu’est-ce que le « beau » ou le « laid » lorsque nulle différence n’est perçue ? Les degrés mêmes de la beauté naissent sans cesse, uniquement parce que l’on voit des distinctions.

Word by Word

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

• सुरूपम्: beautiful
• सुरूपम्: Viśeṣya/Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (सु + रूप); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुरूपम्: ugly
• कुरूपम्: Viśeṣya/Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कु-रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (कु + रूप); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb/conjunction)

• भेदः: difference
• भेदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• दृश्यते: is seen, appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• तारतम्यम्: gradation, relative difference
• तारतम्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारतम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• सुरूपत्वे: in beauty; in being beautiful
• सुरूपत्वे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-रूपत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (सुरूप + त्व); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• सततम्: always, continually
• सततम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्यय (adverb)

• भिन्नदर्शनात्: from differing perception; due to seeing differences
• भिन्नदर्शनात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Ablative source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिन्न + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (भिन्नस्य दर्शनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā-khaṇḍa narrative voice; concluding discernment on perception)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-pradeśa (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative teaching on perception: the speaker frames beauty and ugliness as indistinguishable when difference is not seen; the scene is quiet, philosophical, with listeners reflecting.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Judgments like beauty and ugliness depend on perceived difference; in unity-vision, such rankings fade.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is referenced; the verse is a philosophical wrap-up within Revā-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it points to inner transformation through changed perception.