Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

अस्थ्नामत्र शतानि स्युस्त्रीणि षष्ट्यधिकानि च । त्रिंशच्छतसहस्राणि नाडीनां कथितानि च

Transliteration

asthnāmatra śatāni syustrīṇi ṣaṣṭyadhikāni ca | triṃśacchatasahasrāṇi nāḍīnāṃ kathitāni ca

Translation

Ici, on dit que les os sont au nombre de trois cent soixante; et que les nāḍī sont décrites comme étant trois cent mille.

Word by Word

• asthnām: of bones
• asthnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asthi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (Neuter, Genitive, Plural)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'here')

• śatāni: hundreds
• śatāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Plural)

• syuḥ: would be; are said to be
• syuḥ: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (Optative, 3rd person, Plural)

• trīṇi: three
• trīṇi: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Numeral; Neuter, Nom/Acc, Plural)

• ṣaṣṭi-adhikāni: sixty more (i.e., plus sixty)
• ṣaṣṭi-adhikāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (संख्या) + adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Plural); तत्पुरुष (ṣaṣṭy-adhika = 'exceeding sixty')

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• triṃśat: thirty
• triṃśat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triṃśat (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; समासाङ्ग (Numeral component: 'thirty')

• śata: hundred
• śata: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (compound member: 'hundred')

• sahasrāṇi: (three million) thousands
• sahasrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Plural); द्विगु-समास (triṃśat-śata-sahasra = 'thirty hundred thousands' = 3,000,000)

• nāḍīnām: of channels (nāḍīs)
• nāḍīnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāḍī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (Feminine, Genitive, Plural)

• kathitāni: said; stated
• kathitāni: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kath (धातु) → kathita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Past participle; Neuter, Nom/Acc, Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

Speaker

Kamaṭha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāḍī-mārga (inner pathways)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Disciple/interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A semi-transparent human figure showing a lattice of bones (360) and a radiant web of nāḍīs spreading like countless threads; the teacher points to the inner map.

Characters & Entities

• Nāḍī
• Asthi (bones)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The body is a complex instrument with channels and structure; knowing it supports disciplined practice and non-attachment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; it is a physiological enumeration within a philosophical discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.