Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

अच्छिन्ना तर्जनीं व्याप्य तथा रेखास्य दृश्यते । कनिष्ठा पृष्ठनिर्याता दीर्घायुष्यं यथार्पयेत्

Transliteration

acchinnā tarjanīṃ vyāpya tathā rekhāsya dṛśyate | kaniṣṭhā pṛṣṭhaniryātā dīrghāyuṣyaṃ yathārpayet

Translation

തർജനി മുഴുവൻ വ്യാപിച്ച് മുറിയാത്ത രേഖ കാണുകയും, കനിഷ്ഠികയിലെ രേഖ പുറകോട്ടു നീളുകയും ചെയ്താൽ, അത് അവനു ദീർഘായുസ്സ് അർപ്പിക്കുന്നു എന്നു പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• अच्छिन्ना: unbroken
• अच्छिन्ना: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद् (धातु) + न (क्त) ; अ- (निषेध)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त 'छिन्न' with privative अ- = unbroken; (रेखा इति विशेषणम्)

• तर्जनीम्: the index finger
• तर्जनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्जनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• व्याप्य: having covered
• व्याप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि√आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययः)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund): 'having pervaded/covering'

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• रेखा: a line
• रेखा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this (person)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive: 'is seen')

• कनिष्ठा: (the) little-finger (line)
• कनिष्ठा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनिष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (रेखा इत्यर्थे/कनिष्ठाङ्गुलिसम्बद्धा रेखा)

• पृष्ठनिर्याता: issuing from the back (of the hand)
• पृष्ठनिर्याता: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + नि√या (धातु) + क्त (क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः 'पृष्ठ-निर्याता' = going out from the back (of the hand); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

• दीर्घायुष्यम्: long life
• दीर्घायुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'दीर्घं आयुष्यं'

• यथा: as/so that
• यथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (as, so that)

• अर्पयेत्: would bestow/indicate
• अर्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्पय् (नामधातु/धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थः: 'would bestow/indicate'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of a hand in lamplight: an unbroken line crossing the index finger and a line from the little finger extending toward the back; a sage points with a kusha tip while Gaṅgā’s shimmer appears blurred behind.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Longevity is presented as a karmic fruit, recognized through auspicious signs rather than claimed through mere desire.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśī-khaṇḍa context, but it does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a descriptive omen-like teaching about bodily marks.