Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

मसृणो मत्तकाशिन्याश्चोत्तरोष्ठः सुभोगदः । किंचिन्मध्योन्नतोऽरोमा विपरीतो विरुद्धकृत्

Transliteration

masṛṇo mattakāśinyāścottaroṣṭhaḥ subhogadaḥ | kiṃcinmadhyonnato'romā viparīto viruddhakṛt

Translation

ริมฝีปากบนที่เนียนและส่องประกายดุจมีชีวิตชีวา ย่อมประทานความสุขสบายและเสพสมอันดี แต่ถ้ายกนูนเล็กน้อยตรงกลาง ไร้ขน และรูปทรงวิปลาสผิดปกติ ก็กล่าวว่าให้เกิดการต่อต้านและการกระทำอันผิดธรรม

Word by Word

• masṛṇaḥ: smooth
• masṛṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: masṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mattakāśinyāḥ: of the brightly shining (woman)
• mattakāśinyāḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: matta-kāśinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः matta ‘intoxicated’ + kāśinī ‘shining’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• uttaroṣṭhaḥ: upper lip
• uttaroṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttara + oṣṭha (प्रातिपदिकसमूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘उत्तरः ओष्ठः’

• subhogadaḥ: giver of good enjoyment
• subhogadaḥ: Predicative complement
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-bhoga + da (प्रातिपदिकसमूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘सुभोगं ददाति’

• kiṃcit: somewhat
• kiṃcit: Viśeṣaṇa (degree)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक (indefinite adverb: ‘somewhat’)

• madhya: middle
• madhya: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (समासाङ्ग)

• unnataḥ: raised
• unnataḥ: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√nam (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/ta), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग-रूप)

• aromā: hairless
• aromā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-romān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषः a- + romān/roma ‘hair’

• kiṃcinmadhyunnataḥ: raised a little in the middle
• kiṃcinmadhyunnataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (of uttaroṣṭhaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kiṃcit + madhya + unnata (प्रातिपदिकसमूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अव्ययपूर्वपद-समासः ‘किंचित्’ + (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष) madhyonnata

• viparītaḥ: reversed / contrary
• viparītaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viparīta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• viruddha: opposed / hostile
• viruddha: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viruddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (समासाङ्ग)

• kṛt: doer / maker
• kṛt: Predicative complement
• Type: Noun
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + t (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय ‘कृत्’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक

• viruddhakṛt: one who acts antagonistically
• viruddhakṛt: Predicative complement
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viruddha + kṛt (प्रातिपदिकसमूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘विरुद्धं करोति’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda instructing Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm, luminous upper lip signifying comfort and refined enjoyment; contrasted with a subtly ‘contrary’ shape indicating opposition—rendered symbolically rather than anatomically harsh.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (context)
• Skanda (context)
• Agastya (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gentle, balanced traits are linked with well-being, while distorted traits are associated with conflict—an ethical symbolism common in Purāṇic lakṣaṇa lore.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s instructional material.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual act is stated in this verse.