Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

शंखावर्तो भगो यस्याः सा गर्भमिह नेच्छति । चिपिटः खर्पराकारः किंकरी पददो भगः

Transliteration

śaṃkhāvarto bhago yasyāḥ sā garbhamiha necchati | cipiṭaḥ kharparākāraḥ kiṃkarī padado bhagaḥ

Translation

สตรีผู้มีโยนีเวียนเป็นเกลียวดุจสังข์ กล่าวกันว่าไม่ปรารถนาครรภ์ในโลกนี้; แบบแบนคล้ายชาม กล่าวว่าทำให้เป็นดั่ง ‘คนรับใช้’; และแบบมีรูปดั่งเท้าก็ถูกพรรณนาทำนองเดียวกันว่าอัปมงคล

Word by Word

• शंखावर्तः: spiral like a conch
• शंखावर्तः: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शङ्ख-आवर्त (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शङ्खस्य आवर्त इव)

• भगः: vulva/yoni (here: female organ)
• भगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यस्याः: of whom/whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गर्भम्: pregnancy, conception
• गर्भम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• इच्छति: desires, wants
• इच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √इष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चिपिटः: flat, depressed
• चिपिटः: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिपिट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• खर्पराकारः: shaped like a skull/bowl (kharpara)
• खर्पराकारः: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: खर्पर-आकार (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (खर्परस्य आकारः इव)

• किंकरी: female servant/attendant
• किंकरी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: किंकरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पददः: foot-giving; one who gives footing/support
• पददः: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पदद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (पदं ददाति इति—नामधात्वर्थ/बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः)

• भगः: yoni/vulva
• भगः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic diagrammatic presentation: conch-spiral (śaṅkhāvarta), bowl (kharpara), and footprint motifs shown as abstract icons beside a manuscript, indicating classifications and their supposed outcomes.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It is a traditional predictive description (lakṣaṇa-śāstra style) included in Purāṇic narration, not a direct instruction on worship or pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.