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Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 40

सारस्वत उवाच । यन्मां सरस्वती प्राह सारं वक्ष्यामि तच्छृणु । छायाकारं जगत्सर्वमुत्पत्तिक्षयधर्मि च । वारांगनानेत्रभंगस्वद्वद्भंगुरमेव तत्

sārasvata uvāca | yanmāṃ sarasvatī prāha sāraṃ vakṣyāmi tacchṛṇu | chāyākāraṃ jagatsarvamutpattikṣayadharmi ca | vārāṃganānetrabhaṃgasvadvadbhaṃgurameva tat

സാരസ്വതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—സരസ്വതി എന്നോട് പറഞ്ഞ സാരത്തെ ഇപ്പോൾ ഞാൻ പറയുന്നു; കേൾക്കുക. ഈ സമസ്ത ലോകവും നിഴൽപോലെ, ഉത്പത്തി-ക്ഷയധർമ്മമുള്ളത്; വാരാംഗനയുടെ ചഞ്ചല കടാക്ഷഭംഗംപോലെ അത്യന്തം ക്ഷണഭംഗുരമാണ് ഇത്.

सारस्वतःSārasvata
सारस्वतः:
Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsārasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√vac (धातु)
Formलिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person singular, perfect)
यत्what (that which)
यत्:
Karma (Object of ‘prāha’/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootyat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Relative pronoun, Neuter, Accusative, Singular)
माम्me
माम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootasmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun, Accusative, Singular)
सरस्वतीSarasvatī
सरस्वती:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)
प्राहsaid, told
प्राह:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootpra-√ah (धातु; √ah = ‘to say’)
Formलिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person singular, perfect)
सारम्essence
सारम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootsāra (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)
वक्ष्यामिI will speak
वक्ष्यामि:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√vac (धातु)
Formलृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (1st person singular, future)
तत्that
तत्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun, Neuter, Accusative, Singular)
शृणुlisten
शृणु:
Kriyā (Command/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√śru (धातु)
Formलोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (2nd person singular, imperative)
छाया-आकारम्having the form of a shadow
छाया-आकारम्:
Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootchāyā + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक); समास
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘छायायाः आकारः’/‘छायासदृश आकारः’; विशेषण (qualifying जगत्)
जगत्world
जगत्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootjagat (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)
सर्वम्all, entire
सर्वम्:
Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootsarva (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; qualifying जगत्)
उत्पत्ति-क्षय-धर्मिsubject to birth and destruction
उत्पत्ति-क्षय-धर्मि:
Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootutpatti + kṣaya + dharmin (प्रातिपदिक); समास
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘उत्पत्तिः क्षयश्च यस्य धर्मः’ (having the nature of arising and perishing); विशेषण (qualifying जगत्)
and
:
Sambandha/Avyaya (Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)
वाराङ्गना-नेत्र-भङ्ग-स्वद्वत्like the sweet relish of a courtesan’s eye-glance
वाराङ्गना-नेत्र-भङ्ग-स्वद्वत्:
Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
TypeAdjective
Rootvārāṅganā + netra + bhaṅga + svadvat (प्रातिपदिक); समास
Formअव्ययवत्-प्रयोग (indeclinable-like comparative in -वत्); तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘वाराङ्गनायाः नेत्रभङ्गस्य स्वदः (स्वादः) इव’ → ‘...-स्वद्वत्’ (like the relish of a courtesan’s sidelong glance); विशेषण (qualifying तत्/जगत्)
भङ्गुरम्fragile, perishable
भङ्गुरम्:
Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
TypeAdjective
Rootbhaṅgura (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; predicative of तत्/जगत्)
एवindeed, only
एव:
Sambandha/Avyaya (Emphasis/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rooteva (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)
तत्that (world)
तत्:
Karta/Viṣaya (Topic/subject of predication)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun, Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

Sārasvata

Listener: The inquiring interlocutor (not named in the provided excerpt)

Scene: Sārasvata teaching: the world depicted as a translucent shadow-city fading at the edges; in the foreground, a fleeting glance motif (suggested symbolically, not erotically explicit) conveys momentariness; the sage points to the dissolving scene.

S
Sarasvatī

FAQs

The world is transient and unreliable; recognizing impermanence is the foundation for turning toward the enduring, dharmic refuge.

No specific place is named in this verse; it provides philosophical groundwork often used to motivate devotion and right practice.

None explicitly; it teaches vairāgya (detachment) through contemplation of the world’s perishability.