Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

विशुष्क पांसुलोत्क्रोडं पृष्ठलग्नोदरत्वचम् । कटीतटेन विकटं निर्मांसत्रिकबंधनम्

Transliteration

viśuṣka pāṃsulotkroḍaṃ pṛṣṭhalagnodaratvacam | kaṭītaṭena vikaṭaṃ nirmāṃsatrikabaṃdhanam

Translation

บั้นเอวของเขาแห้งผากและเต็มฝุ่น ผิวท้องแนบติดกับแผ่นหลัง; เอวผิดรูปน่าสะพรึง และข้อต่อหลังถูกผูกด้วยปมกระดูกไร้เนื้อ

Word by Word

• विशुष्कपांसुलोत्क्रोडम्: with a very dry, dusty belly/torso
• विशुष्कपांसुलोत्क्रोडम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विशुष्क (प्रातिपदिक) + पांसुल (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्क्रोड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (विशुष्कः पांसुलः उत्क्रोडः यस्य)

• पृष्ठलग्नोदरत्वचम्: with belly-skin stuck to the back
• पृष्ठलग्नोदरत्वचम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + लग्न (कृदन्त; √लग् धातु) + उदर (प्रातिपदिक) + त्वच्/त्वचा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (पृष्ठे लग्ना उदरत्वक् यस्य)

• कटीतटेन: by/with the waist/hip-region
• कटीतटेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कटीतट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (कटी-तटः = waist-slope/hip-region)

• विकटम्: hideous/monstrous
• विकटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विकट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• निर्मांसत्रिकबंधनम्: with fleshless hip-joints/waist-binding
• निर्मांसत्रिकबंधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मांस (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रिक (प्रातिपदिक) + बन्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (निर्मांसं त्रिकबन्धनं यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual narration to Agastya in Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dust-dry waist and loins; belly-skin drawn tight as if stuck to the spine; a misshapen dreadful waist; back-joints like fleshless bony knots—set near a cremation ghat’s smoky horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The body’s horror becomes a mirror for karmic consequence, urging dharmic living and seeking sacred refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode occurs within the Kāśī-kṣetra narrative world of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive.