Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

स्वदेहाशुचिगंधेन न विरज्यति यो नरः । विरागे कारणं तस्य किमन्यदु पदिश्यते

Transliteration

svadehāśucigaṃdhena na virajyati yo naraḥ | virāge kāraṇaṃ tasya kimanyadu padiśyate

Translation

自らの身の不浄の悪臭によってすら離欲を得ない者に、いったい他にどのような離欲の因を説き示せようか。

Word by Word

• स्व-देह-अशुचि-गन्धेन: by the impure smell of one’s own body
• स्व-देह-अशुचि-गन्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक) + अशुचि (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—स्वदेहस्य अशुचिगन्धः (one’s body’s impure smell)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• विरज्यति: becomes dispassionate/detached
• विरज्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + √रञ्ज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• नरः: man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘यः’ इत्यस्य विशेष्यः

• विरागे: in dispassion
• विरागे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• कारणम्: cause
• कारणम्: Karta/Predicate-noun (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/of that person
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative)

• अन्यत्: other
• अन्यत्: Prashna-viśeṣaṇa (Interrogative qualifier/प्रश्नविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘किम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• उ: indeed/then
• उ: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/particle)

• पदिश्यते: is taught/indicated
• पदिश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √दिश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher indicates a person recoiling from the stench of a soiled garment/body, while another remains indifferent—illustrating the rhetorical question: if this doesn’t produce detachment, what will?

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A basic awareness of bodily impurity should awaken detachment; if it does not, deeper instruction becomes difficult.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the emphasis is psychological and ethical rather than tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is given; the verse stresses inner response (vairāgya) rather than outward acts.