Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

नारीषु त्वनुभूतासु सर्वदोषाश्रयासु च । विण्मुत्रोत्सर्गसदृशं सौख्यं मैथुनजं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

nārīṣu tvanubhūtāsu sarvadoṣāśrayāsu ca | viṇmutrotsargasadṛśaṃ saukhyaṃ maithunajaṃ smṛtam

Translation

Et quant aux femmes—une fois connues et vues comme le refuge de tous les défauts—on se souvient que le plaisir né de l’union charnelle est semblable au soulagement d’évacuer selles et urine.

Word by Word

• nārīṣu: in/with women
• nārīṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन — Locative plural

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• anubhūtāsu: experienced/enjoyed
• anubhūtāsu: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anubhūta (अनुभूत, कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन — Past passive participle (क्त) from √bhū with anu-; agrees with ‘nārīṣu’

• sarva-doṣa-āśrayāsu: in those that are the abode of all faults
• sarva-doṣa-āśrayāsu: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + doṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + āśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन — Locative plural; समासः सर्वदोष (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: ‘सर्वे दोषाः’) + आश्रय (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘दोषाणाम् आश्रयः’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• viṇ-mūtra-utsarga-sadṛśam: similar to the discharge of feces and urine
• viṇ-mūtra-utsarga-sadṛśam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṇ (विण्/विट्, प्रातिपदिक) + mūtra (प्रातिपदिक) + utsarga (प्रातिपदिक) + sadṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — N/Acc sg; समासः विण्मूत्र (द्वन्द्व) + उत्सर्ग (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘विण्मूत्रयोः उत्सर्गः’) + सदृश (तत्पुरुष: ‘उत्सर्गसदृशम्’)

• saukhyam: pleasure
• saukhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — N/Acc sg

• maithunajam: born of sexual intercourse
• maithunajam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maithuna (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — N/Acc sg; समासः मैथुनात् जातम् (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद)

• smṛtam: is regarded (as)
• smṛtam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ (स्मृ)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘is considered/remembered’ (impersonal passive sense)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An allegorical depiction: a couple in embrace fades into a stark image of bodily functions (symbolic, not explicit), while a calm yogi contemplates a skull/ash to signify asubha-bhāvanā; the message is disenchantment, not insult.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sensual pleasure is portrayed as brief relief rather than true bliss; the verse urges turning away from kāma toward enduring spiritual good.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is glorified in this verse; it is an ascetic-leaning reflection within the discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it provides a value-judgment intended to cultivate dispassion.