Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

त्वङ्मात्रसारनिःसारं कदलीसारसंनिभम् । ज्ञात्वैवं दोषवद्देहं यः प्राज्ञः शिथिलीभवेत्

Transliteration

tvaṅmātrasāraniḥsāraṃ kadalīsārasaṃnibham | jñātvaivaṃ doṣavaddehaṃ yaḥ prājñaḥ śithilībhavet

Translation

Sachant que le corps est creux, n’ayant pour « essence » que la peau, semblable à la moelle du bananier, le sage, voyant ce corps chargé de défauts, se relâche de la saisie et de l’attachement.

Word by Word

• त्वक्: skin
• त्वक्: Visheshya (qualificand)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (feminine, nominative/accusative, singular)

• मात्र: mere/only
• मात्र: Visheshana (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘केवल/मात्र’ (neuter, nom/acc sg; sense: only/merely)

• सार: essence
• सार: Compound member
• Type: Noun
• Root: सार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (stem used in compound)

• निःसारम्: essenceless/without substance
• निःसारम्: Karma (object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—(त्वक्+मात्र+सार)+निःसार (neuter, accusative sg; tatpuruṣa: ‘having only skin as essence, yet essenceless’)

• कदली: banana plant
• कदली: Compound member
• Type: Noun
• Root: कदली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (stem in compound)

• सार: pith/essence
• सार: Compound member
• Type: Noun
• Root: सार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (stem in compound)

• संनिभम्: resembling
• संनिभम्: Visheshana (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संनिभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कदली-सार-सम्-निभ (neuter, accusative sg; tatpuruṣa: ‘similar to banana-pith’)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘ज्ञात्वा’ (having known)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-viseshana (adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (indeclinable adverb: thus/in this way)

• दोषवत्: faulty/with defects
• दोषवत्: Visheshana (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दोषवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (agreeing with ‘देहम्’)

• देहम्: body
• देहम्: Karma (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, accusative, singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (relative pronoun; masculine, nominative sg)

• प्राज्ञः: a wise person
• प्राज्ञः: Karta (subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative, singular)

• शिथिलीभवेत्: may become detached/relaxed
• शिथिलीभवेत्: Kriya (predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शिथिली-भू (धातु; नामधातु/भू)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (may become loosened/detached)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative ascetic or wise devotee sits in stillness, holding a banana stem split open to show its hollow pith, while the body is subtly depicted as fragile and transient; the mood is quiet renunciation.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contemplating the body’s fragility and fault-filled nature helps the wise relax their clinging and cultivate dispassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is mentioned; the verse is a vairāgya-oriented reflection rather than a tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual act is prescribed; the practice implied is reflective discernment (viveka) leading to detachment.