Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

सप्तभित्तिसुसंबद्धं छन्नं रोम तृणैरपि । वदनैकमहाद्वारं गवाक्षाष्टविभूषितम्

Transliteration

saptabhittisusaṃbaddhaṃ channaṃ roma tṛṇairapi | vadanaikamahādvāraṃ gavākṣāṣṭavibhūṣitam

Translation

ഈ ദേഹം ഏഴ് ഭിത്തികളാൽ നന്നായി ബന്ധിപ്പിച്ച ഗൃഹംപോലെ; രോമങ്ങൾ തൃണമെന്നപോലെ മേൽക്കൂരയായി മൂടിയിരിക്കുന്നു. വായ് തന്നേ ഏക മഹാദ്വാരം; അഷ്ട ഗവാക്ഷങ്ങളാൽ (എട്ട് ജാലകങ്ങളാൽ) ശോഭിതം॥

Word by Word

• सप्त-भित्ति-सु-संबद्धम्: well-fastened with seven walls
• सप्त-भित्ति-सु-संबद्धम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + भित्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + सु- (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + सम्बद्ध (कृदन्त; बन्ध् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु/तत्पुरुष (सप्तभित्तिभिः) + उपपद ‘सु’ + क्त (सम्+बन्ध्)

• छन्नम्: covered
• छन्नम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छद् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• रोम: hair
• रोम: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तृणैः: with grasses
• तृणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• वदन-एक-महा-द्वारम्: having one great door, the mouth
• वदन-एक-महा-द्वारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वदन (प्रातिपदिक) + एक (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय (एकं महद् द्वारं वदनम्/वदनरूपं द्वारम्)

• गवाक्ष-अष्ट-विभूषितम्: adorned with eight windows
• गवाक्ष-अष्ट-विभूषितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गवाक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अष्ट (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + विभूषित (कृदन्त; भूष् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु/तत्पुरुष (अष्ट गवाक्षाः) + क्त (वि+भूष्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic human figure shown as a small house: seven walls, hair as thatch, mouth as a single grand door, and eight windows representing sensory apertures; a teacher explains the metaphor to a disciple.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The body is portrayed as a temporary dwelling with openings that draw the mind outward, encouraging restraint and detachment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the imagery supports disciplines like sense-restraint (indriya-nigraha).