Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

अमी देहादयो भावास्तोयफेनसधर्मकाः । क्वचिद्भ्रांतिः क्वचिच्छांतिः स्थितिर्भवति वा पुनः

Transliteration

amī dehādayo bhāvāstoyaphenasadharmakāḥ | kvacidbhrāṃtiḥ kvacicchāṃtiḥ sthitirbhavati vā punaḥ

Translation

हा देह इत्यादी सर्व भाव जलावरील फेसासारखे—कधी भ्रम, कधी शांती; मग शाश्वत स्थैर्य कुठे?

Word by Word

• amī: these
• amī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (pronoun), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• deha-ādayaḥ: bodies and the like
• deha-ādayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ādi-śabdaḥ ‘etc.’), ‘dehaḥ ādiḥ yeṣām’ (deha etc.)

• bhāvāḥ: entities/conditions
• bhāvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• toya-phena-sadharmakāḥ: having the nature of water-foam
• toya-phena-sadharmakāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: toya (प्रातिपदिक) + phena (प्रातिपदिक) + sa-dharma(ka) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुष (toya-phena = ‘water-foam’; sa-dharmaka = ‘having similar nature’), ‘toya-phenavat sadharmāṇaḥ’

• kvacit: somewhere/sometimes
• kvacit: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (स्थानवाचक/कालवाचक)

• bhrāntiḥ: delusion/wandering
• bhrāntiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhrānti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• kvacit: somewhere/sometimes
• kvacit: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb

• śāntiḥ: peace/quiescence
• śāntiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śānti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sthitiḥ: stability/continuance
• sthitiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthiti (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• bhavati: occurs/is
• bhavati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present/वर्तमान), Parasmaipada, 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Disjunctive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (विकल्पार्थक)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (पुनरुक्ति/पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक)

Speaker

Ṛṣabha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative sage points to foam on a river’s surface, illustrating the body’s fleeting states—now turbulent, now calm—against an unchanging sky.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣabha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bodily and mental states are fleeting like foam; wisdom rests on seeing their instability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse teaches discernment about impermanence.