Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

श्लेष्मादनं पित्तपानं महातिक्तनिषेवणम् । अत्युष्ण तैलपानं च पानं क्षारोदकस्य च

Transliteration

śleṣmādanaṃ pittapānaṃ mahātiktaniṣevaṇam | atyuṣṇa tailapānaṃ ca pānaṃ kṣārodakasya ca

Translation

การกินเสมหะ การดื่มน้ำดี การเสพสิ่งขมจัดยิ่ง การดื่มน้ำมันที่ร้อนจัด และการดื่มน้ำด่างอันกัดกร่อน—สิ่งเหล่านี้ก็ถูกกล่าวว่าเป็นทุกข์ทรมานดุจนรก

Word by Word

• श्लेष्मादनम्: eating of phlegm
• श्लेष्मादनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्लेष्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अदन (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (श्लेष्मणः अदनम्)

• पित्तपानम्: drinking of bile
• पित्तपानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पित्त (प्रातिपदिक) + पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पित्तस्य पानम्)

• महा: very, great
• महा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग; विशेषण (great/very)

• तिक्त: bitter
• तिक्त: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग; विशेषण (bitter)

• निषेवणम्: consumption, indulgence
• निषेवणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नि-सेव् (धातु) + अन (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भाववाचक (use/consumption)

• अति: excessively
• अति: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषण (excessively)

• उष्ण: hot
• उष्ण: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग; विशेषण (hot)

• तैलपानम्: drinking of oil
• तैलपानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तैल (प्रातिपदिक) + पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तैलस्य पानम्)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पानम्: drinking
• पानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• क्षारोदकस्य: of alkaline water
• क्षारोदकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षार (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षारम् उदकम्)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setu Māhātmya-style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hell kitchen imagery: yamadūtas forcing sufferers to ingest phlegm and bile, drink boiling oil and caustic water; cauldrons, ladles, bitter herbs; oppressive heat haze.

Characters & Entities

• Naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Graphic depictions of suffering highlight why dharma and purificatory merit—especially at famed tīrthas—are cherished in Purāṇic teaching.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (Setubandha/Rāmeśvara), the central tīrtha of the Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite here; it continues the depiction of punishments that the Setu pilgrim is said to transcend.