Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

नात्मानं परनेत्रस्थं वीक्षते न स जीवति । शक्रायुधं चार्धरात्रे दिवा वा ग्रहणं तथा

Transliteration

nātmānaṃ paranetrasthaṃ vīkṣate na sa jīvati | śakrāyudhaṃ cārdharātre divā vā grahaṇaṃ tathā

Translation

Si l’on ne voit pas son propre reflet dans l’œil d’autrui, on ne vit pas. De même, voir l’arme d’Indra (vajra) à minuit, ou voir une éclipse en plein jour, est un présage de mort.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात — negative particle

• आत्मानम्: oneself
• आत्मानम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• परनेत्रस्थम्: located in another’s eye
• परनेत्रस्थम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर + नेत्र + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular agreeing with आत्मानम्; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष sense ‘situated in another’s eye’

• वीक्षते: sees
• वीक्षते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वीक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद — Present indicative ‘sees’

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात — negative particle

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• जीवति: lives
• जीवति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जीव् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative ‘lives’

• शक्रायुधम्: Indra’s weapon (thunderbolt)
• शक्रायुधम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र + आयुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘Indra’s weapon (thunderbolt)’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक-निपात — conjunction ‘and’

• अर्धरात्रे: at midnight
• अर्धरात्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular; तत्पुरुष ‘midnight’

• दिवा: by day
• दिवा: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक — temporal adverb ‘by day’

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विकल्पार्थक-निपात — ‘or’

• ग्रहणम्: eclipse/seizure
• ग्रहणम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रहण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/उपसंहारार्थ — ‘also/likewise’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) addressing the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A close, intimate moment: a person peers into another’s eye but cannot see his reflection; elsewhere, a midnight sky flashes with a vajra-like bolt; in daytime, an eerie eclipse darkens the sun.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse stresses fragility of embodied life and treats cosmic and perceptual anomalies as calls to spiritual readiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is directly glorified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; eclipses are mentioned as ominous signs, not as ritual occasions here.