Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

दीर्घांगुलीभिः कुलटा कृशाभिरतिनिर्धना । ह्रस्वायुष्या च ह्रस्वाभिर्भुग्नाभिर्भुग्नवर्तिनी

Transliteration

dīrghāṃgulībhiḥ kulaṭā kṛśābhiratinirdhanā | hrasvāyuṣyā ca hrasvābhirbhugnābhirbhugnavartinī

Translation

Dengan jari-jari kaki yang sangat panjang, ia digambarkan tidak setia; dengan jari-jari yang kurus (bertulang), amat miskin. Dengan jari-jari yang pendek, ia disebut berumur pendek; dan dengan jari-jari yang bengkok, jalan hidupnya dikatakan penuh kesukaran dan menyimpang.

Word by Word

• दीर्घ: long
• दीर्घ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (Feminine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचनम् (Plural) (दीर्घाभिः understood with अङ्गुलीभिः)

• अङ्गुलीभिः: with (long) fingers
• अङ्गुलीभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (Feminine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• कुलटा: unchaste woman
• कुलटा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुलटा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• कृशाभिः: with thin (fingers)
• कृशाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (Feminine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• अतिनिर्धना: very poor
• अतिनिर्धना: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय) + निर्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• ह्रस्वायुष्या: short-lived
• ह्रस्वायुष्या: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ह्रस्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• ह्रस्वाभिः: with short (fingers)
• ह्रस्वाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ह्रस्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (Feminine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• भुग्नाभिः: with bent (fingers)
• भुग्नाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुग्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; भुज् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (Past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्गः (Feminine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• भुग्नवर्तिनी: having a bent course/behavior
• भुग्नवर्तिनी: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुग्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + वर्तिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four illustrative foot studies: very long toes, thin bony toes, short toes, and bent toes—each paired with symbolic vignettes (temptation, empty granary, fading lamp, crooked path). A Kāśī teacher points to the moral lesson rather than mere prediction.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It conveys the Purāṇic worldview that character and life-circumstances are karmically patterned, encouraging ethical discipline and spiritual refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the macro-context of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this specific verse is not a tīrtha-praise passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.