Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

तानि न स्वात्मवेद्यानि किमन्यत्कथयाम्यहम् । एकोत्तरं मृत्युशतमस्मिन्देहे प्रतिष्ठितम्

Transliteration

tāni na svātmavedyāni kimanyatkathayāmyaham | ekottaraṃ mṛtyuśatamasmindehe pratiṣṭhitam

Translation

അവ (അന്തരംഗ ക്ലേശങ്ങൾ) സ്വയംകൊണ്ടും പൂർണ്ണമായി അറിയാനാകാത്തവയാണ്—ഞാൻ ഇനി എന്ത് പറയണം? ഈ ദേഹത്തിൽ തന്നെ ‘നൂറ്റൊന്ന്’ മരണങ്ങൾ, അഥവാ അനവധി മരണകാരണങ്ങൾ, സ്ഥാപിതമാണ്.

Word by Word

• तानि: those (things)
• तानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• स्वात्मवेद्यानि: knowable by oneself
• स्वात्मवेद्यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + वेद्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √विद्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—स्व-आत्म-वेद्य (तत्पुरुष: 'knowable by oneself'); विशेषणम् (तानि)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• अन्यत्: else/other
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म) विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; किम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कथयामि: I tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• एकोत्तरम्: one more (than a hundred)
• एकोत्तरम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—एक-उत्तर (तत्पुरुष: 'one more'); विशेषणम् (मृत्युशतम्)

• मृत्युशतम्: a hundred deaths
• मृत्युशतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—मृत्यु-शत (तत्पुरुष: 'a hundred deaths')

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; अधिकरणे

• देहे: body
• देहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: is established/present
• प्रतिष्ठितम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रति-√स्था (धातु) → प्रतिष्ठित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); विधेय-विशेषणम् (मृत्युशतम्)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fragile human body depicted as a vessel with many tiny cracks labeled as ‘death-causes’; above, a steady Śiva-liṅga or sacred flame symbolizes the timeless refuge beyond bodily uncertainty.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mortality is multi-sided and unpredictable; therefore one should not delay dharma and spiritual striving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the focus is on the universal condition of embodied life.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it intensifies the call to spiritual urgency through contemplation of death.