Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

पीताः श्यावाश्च दशनाः स्थूलादीर्घाद्विपंक्तयः । शुक्त्याकाराश्च विरला दुःखदौर्भाग्यकारणम्

Transliteration

pītāḥ śyāvāśca daśanāḥ sthūlādīrghādvipaṃktayaḥ | śuktyākārāśca viralā duḥkhadaurbhāgyakāraṇam

Translation

ฟันที่มีสีเหลืองหรือคล้ำ หนาและยาวเกินไป เรียงซ้อนกันสองแถว มีรูปร่างเหมือนเปลือกหอย และห่างกัน กล่าวกันว่าเป็นสาเหตุแห่งความทุกข์และความโชคร้าย

Word by Word

• पीताः: yellow
• पीताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• श्यावाः: dark/blackish
• श्यावाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्याव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• दशनाः: teeth
• दशनाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनम्

• स्थूलात्: from (being) thick
• स्थूलात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (5th/Ablative), एकवचनम्; हेतौ/विशेषणत्वेन (from being thick)

• दीर्घात्: from (being) long
• दीर्घात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचनम्; स्थूलात् इत्यस्य सह समुच्चयः

• द्वि-पंक्तयः: two rows (double row)
• द्वि-पंक्तयः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + पंक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः

• शुक्ति-आकाराः: shell-shaped
• शुक्ति-आकाराः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (shell-shaped); विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• विरलाः: sparse/irregular
• विरलाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• दुःख-दौर्भाग्य-कारणम्: a cause of sorrow and misfortune
• दुःख-दौर्भाग्य-कारणम्: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + दौर्भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (of misery and misfortune, cause)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Didactic contrast: the teacher enumerates inauspicious dental traits—yellow/dark, overlong, irregular, sparse—while listeners reflect soberly.

Characters & Entities

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

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It uses traditional physiognomic symbolism to associate disorder and impurity with hardship and ill-luck.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the verse occurs within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa corpus linked to Kāśī’s sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an omen catalog.