Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

बोधको रसनास्थश्च रसानामवबोधकः । शिरःस्थश्चक्षुरादीनां तर्पणात्तर्पणः स्मृतः

Transliteration

bodhako rasanāsthaśca rasānāmavabodhakaḥ | śiraḥsthaścakṣurādīnāṃ tarpaṇāttarpaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

Le « Bodhaka », demeurant sur la langue, rend les saveurs véritablement connaissables. Et le « Tarpaṇa », siégeant dans la tête, est tenu pour ce qui nourrit les yeux et les autres sens par une satisfaction qui les soutient.

Word by Word

• bodhakaḥ: the knower/awakener (bodhaka)
• bodhakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bodhaka (कृदन्त; √budh धातु)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• rasanā-sthaḥ: situated in the tongue
• rasanā-sthaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rasanā + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (रसनायां स्थितः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• rasānām: of tastes/rasas
• rasānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• avabodhakaḥ: the recognizer (avabodhaka)
• avabodhakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ava-bodhaka (कृदन्त; √budh धातु, ava- उपसर्ग)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि-ण्वुल् प्रत्ययान्त

• śiraḥ-sthaḥ: situated in the head
• śiraḥ-sthaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiras + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (शिरसि स्थितः)

• cakṣur-ādīnām: of the eyes and other (sense organs)
• cakṣur-ādīnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakṣus + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; समाहार/समुच्चयार्थ ‘आदि’ सहित (cakṣus etc.)

• tarpaṇāt: from nourishment/satiation
• tarpaṇāt: Hetu (हेतु/Reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• tarpaṇaḥ: Tarpaṇa (the nourisher)
• tarpaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (कृदन्त; √tṛp धातु)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• smṛtaḥ: is considered/known as
• smṛtaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √smṛ (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle: ‘is considered’)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bodhaka as a subtle light on the tongue discerning six tastes; Tarpaṇa as a cool nectar in the head nourishing eyes and senses, depicted as lotus-petals being refreshed.

Characters & Entities

• Bodhaka
• Tarpaṇa
• Rasanā (tongue)
• Cakṣus (eyes)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human faculties like taste and sight are upheld by subtle sustaining principles; gratitude and disciplined living align one with dharmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned; the focus is physiological-doctrinal rather than sthala-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it defines functions (bodily nourishment and perception) rather than prescribing a ritual.