Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

पर्यंकशायिनी नारी वि धवा पातयेत्पतिम् । तस्माद्भूशयनं कार्यं पतिसौख्यसमीहया

Transliteration

paryaṃkaśāyinī nārī vi dhavā pātayetpatim | tasmādbhūśayanaṃ kāryaṃ patisaukhyasamīhayā

Translation

On dit que la veuve qui repose sur un lit entraîne la chute de son époux. Aussi, désirant le bien de son mari, qu’elle dorme à même le sol.

Word by Word

• पर्यङ्कशायिनी: lying on a bed
• पर्यङ्कशायिनी: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर्यङ्क (प्रातिपदिक) + शायिनी (प्रातिपदिक; √शी धातोः णिनि-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (पर्यङ्के शायिनी)

• नारी: woman
• नारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case/Nominative), एकवचन

• विधवा: widow
• विधवा: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa / Apposition
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case/Nominative), एकवचन; (पाठे 'वि धवा' इति छेदः, अर्थतः विधवा)

• पातयेत्: would cause to fall; would bring down
• पातयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु) णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative: ‘cause to fall’)

• पतिम्: husband
• पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case/Accusative), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Reason (कारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक (therefore)

• भूशयनम्: sleeping on the ground
• भूशयनम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa / Subject complement
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक) + शयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूमेः शयनम्)

• कार्यम्: should be done
• कार्यम्: Vidheyā (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ धातोः कृत्य-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case/Nominative), एकवचन; कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive)

• पति-सौख्य-समीहया: with the desire for the husband’s happiness
• पति-सौख्य-समीहया: Hetu/Prayojana (Motive/Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक) + सौख्य (प्रातिपदिक) + समीहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पतेः सौख्यस्य समीहा)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night in a simple Kāśī dwelling: a widow spreads a thin mat on the floor near a small Śiva shrine; a bed stands unused in the background; moonlight filters in with distant ghāṭa lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames personal austerity as an offering oriented to the spiritual welfare of the departed spouse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred geography of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, but this verse is primarily a conduct-rule.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhūśayana—sleeping on the ground rather than on a bed.