Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

त्वगस्थिमांसमेदोऽसृक्केशस्नायुशतैः सह । विण्मूत्ररेतःसङ्घाते का संज्ञा जायते नृणाम्

Transliteration

tvagasthimāṃsamedo'sṛkkeśasnāyuśataiḥ saha | viṇmūtraretaḥsaṅghāte kā saṃjñā jāyate nṛṇām

Translation

Сложенное из кожи, костей, плоти, жира, крови, волос и сотен сухожилий — и из груды кала, мочи и семени, — какая же «самость» поистине возникает у человека из такого соединения?

Word by Word

• tvak: skin
• tvak: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvac (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (feminine, nominative/accusative, singular)

• asthi: bone
• asthi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asthi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• māṃsa: flesh
• māṃsa: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• medaḥ: fat
• medaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: medas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (neuter, nominative, singular)

• asṛk: blood
• asṛk: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asṛj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• keśa: hair
• keśa: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, nominative/accusative, singular; collective sense)

• snāyu: sinew/ligament
• snāyu: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, nominative/accusative, singular; collective sense)

• śataiḥ: with hundreds (of)
• śataiḥ: Sahakāraka (Instrument/सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (neuter, instrumental, plural)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद (indeclinable; postposition meaning 'with')

• viṭ: feces
• viṭ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṭ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (feminine, nominative/accusative, singular)

• mūtra: urine
• mūtra: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūtra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• retaḥ: semen
• retaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: retas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (neuter, nominative, singular)

• saṅghāte: in the aggregate/heap
• saṅghāte: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṅghāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine, locative, singular)

• kā: what (which?)
• kā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine, nominative, singular)

• saṃjñā: designation/name
• saṃjñā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃjñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine, nominative, singular)

• jāyate: arises/is born
• jāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, middle, 3rd person singular)

• nṛṇām: of men/humans
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (masculine, genitive, plural)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira (continuing the inquiry)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (contextual)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative sage points to a human figure shown as layered constituents (skin, bone, flesh) to teach dispassion; the background suggests a riverbank hermitage of Revā.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It urges dispassion by exposing the body as a perishable mixture, undermining pride and false self-identification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the verse supports ethical-spiritual teaching within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a reflective, philosophical prompt.