Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

चिबुकंद्वयंगुलं शस्तं वृत्तं पीनं सुकोमलम् । स्थूलं द्विधा संविभक्तमायतं रोमशं त्यजेत्

Transliteration

cibukaṃdvayaṃgulaṃ śastaṃ vṛttaṃ pīnaṃ sukomalam | sthūlaṃ dvidhā saṃvibhaktamāyataṃ romaśaṃ tyajet

Translation

On loue le menton de deux largeurs de doigt, rond, plein et très doux. Mais le menton trop gros, fendu en deux, allongé ou velu doit être écarté.

Word by Word

• cibukam: chin
• cibukam: Karma/Viṣaya (object/topic described)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cibuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• dvayaṃgulam: two-finger(-breadths)
• dvayaṃgulam: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvaya (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃgula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (dvaya-aṃgula = ‘two-finger(-breadths)’)

• śastam: commendable; proper
• śastam: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vṛttam: round
• vṛttam: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛtta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• pīnam: full; plump
• pīnam: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• sukomalam: very soft; delicate
• sukomalam: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + komala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• sthūlam: thick; bulky
• sthūlam: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• dvidhā: in two parts; twofold
• dvidhā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dvidhā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• saṃvibhaktam: divided; well-partitioned
• saṃvibhaktam: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam (उपसर्ग) + vi + √bhaj (धातु) → vibhakta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• āyatam: elongated; long
• āyatam: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āyata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• romaśam: hairy
• romaśam: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: romaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tyajet: should abandon; should reject
• tyajet: Kriyā (predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tyaj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher demonstrates the two-finger-breadth measure for the chin using hand pose; a small proportional diagram is shown; the setting hints at Kāśī ghats and a nearby shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It uses traditional markers to counsel prudent choice and attention to character, framed through the lens of karmic indications.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the broader frame of the Kāśī Khaṇḍa; no specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is guidance in the mode of lakṣaṇa-śāstra (signs).