Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

दंदशूकाशनं चापि पर्यावर्तनसंज्ञितम् । तिरोधानाभिधं विप्रास्तथा सूचीमुखाभिधम्

Transliteration

daṃdaśūkāśanaṃ cāpi paryāvartanasaṃjñitam | tirodhānābhidhaṃ viprāstathā sūcīmukhābhidham

Translation

Dan ada pula Daṃdaśūkāśana (tempat ular memakan); juga neraka bernama Paryāvartana (yang ‘memutar-balikkan’); dan wahai para brāhmaṇa, neraka yang disebut Tirodhāna (penyelubungan/kegelapan), serta yang dinamai Sūcīmukha (berwajah jarum).

Word by Word

• दंदशूकआशनम्: devouring by biting serpents
• दंदशूकआशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दंदशूक + आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — neuter nom/acc sg; (दंदशूकानाम् आशनम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — conjunction ‘and’

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle ‘also’

• पर्यावर्तनसंज्ञितम्: called ‘Paryāvartana’
• पर्यावर्तनसंज्ञितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + आवर्तन (√वृत् ‘to turn’ ल्युट्) + संज्ञित (√ज्ञा ‘to know’ क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — past participle (क्त) used adjectivally; (पर्यावर्तन इति संज्ञितम्)

• तिरोधानाभिधम्: named ‘Tirodhāna’
• तिरोधानाभिधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिरोधान + अभिध (√धा ‘to place’ with तिरस्; अभिधा ‘to name’ क्त/प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — adjectival ‘named’; (तिरोधान इति अभिधम्)

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Addressed/सम्बोधनार्थे प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन — masculine nominative plural

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘thus/likewise’

• सूचीमुखाभिधम्: named ‘Sūcīmukha’
• सूचीमुखाभिधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूची + मुख + अभिध (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘named’; (सूचीमुख इति अभिधम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setu-khaṇḍa narrative style: Skanda teaching a sage/interlocutor)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya brāhmaṇas (viprāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence of punishments: serpents consuming sinners; a vortex-like ‘whirling back’ corridor; a pitch-dark chamber of concealment; and a needle-faced tormentor figure symbolizing piercing pain and sharp retribution.

Characters & Entities

• Viprāḥ (brāhmaṇas)
• Daṃdaśūka (serpents)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text reinforces moral accountability by enumerating hell-realms as deterrents and as theological reminders of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu/Setubandha (Rāmeśvaram–Dhanuṣkoṭi) is the overarching tīrtha-context in which these warnings are framed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not in this verse; the chapter’s arc supports tīrtha-snānā and pilgrimage as purificatory disciplines.