Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

गूढौ गुल्फौ शिवायोक्तावशिरालौ सुवर्तुलौ । स्थपुटौ शिथिलौ दृश्यौ स्यातां दौर्भाग्यसूचकौ

Transliteration

gūḍhau gulphau śivāyoktāvaśirālau suvartulau | sthapuṭau śithilau dṛśyau syātāṃ daurbhāgyasūcakau

Translation

ശിവയുടെ ഉപദേശപ്രകാരം, നന്നായി പതിഞ്ഞ (ഗൂഢ) കണങ്കാലുകൾ ശിരകളില്ലാതെ മനോഹരമായി വൃത്താകാരമായാൽ പ്രശംസനീയം; എന്നാൽ കണങ്കാലുകൾ കട്ടിയുമായി ശിഥിലമായി തോന്നിയാൽ അത് ദുര്ഭാഗ്യസൂചകമെന്ന് പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• गूढौ: hidden, deep-set
• गूढौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गूढ (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √गुह्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; (Past participial adjective; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• गुल्फौ: the two ankles
• गुल्फौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुल्फ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; (Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• शिवया: by Śivā (Pārvatī)
• शिवया: Karta (Agent in passive/करण-कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; (Feminine, Instrumental, Singular)

• उक्तौ: said, described
• उक्तौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उक्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √वच्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; (Past participial adjective; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• अशिरालौ: not veiny
• अशिरालौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-शिराल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; (Negative adjective; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• सुवर्तुलौ: well-rounded
• सुवर्तुलौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + वर्तुल (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: कर्मधारय (सु- वर्तुलौ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; (Karmadhāraya; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• स्थपुटौ: bulging, protruding
• स्थपुटौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थपुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; (Adjective; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• शिथिलौ: loose, slack
• शिथिलौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिथिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; (Adjective; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• दृश्यौ: visible, seen
• दृश्यौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √दृश्)
• Form: भाव्य/कर्तव्यतार्थक-विशेषण (दृश्य = seen/visible); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; (Adjectival derivative; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• स्याताम्: would be (the two)
• स्याताम्: Kriyā (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), द्विवचन; परस्मैपद; (Optative, 3rd dual)

• दौर्भाग्यसूचकौ: indicators of misfortune
• दौर्भाग्यसूचकौ: Karta (Subject complement/प्रथमा-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दौर्भाग्य + सूचक (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दौर्भाग्यस्य सूचकौ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; (Genitive tatpuruṣa; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya; citing Śivā’s teaching)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī (Śivā) as a gentle teacher figure indicating the ankles (gulfāḥ): well-set, rounded, non-veiny as auspicious; thick and loose as inauspicious—set against a Kāśī shrine ambiance.

Characters & Entities

• Śivā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It attributes traditional lakṣaṇa-knowledge to Śiva’s authority and distinguishes auspicious harmony from signs believed to foreshadow hardship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s teaching context (Kāśī/Vārāṇasī), without naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is explanatory, not prescriptive.