Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

धूलिधूसरितांगं तं ते तु दृष्ट्वा महीपतिम् । चंडाल इति मन्वानाश्चिह्नैर्गात्रसमुद्भवैः

Transliteration

dhūlidhūsaritāṃgaṃ taṃ te tu dṛṣṭvā mahīpatim | caṃḍāla iti manvānāścihnairgātrasamudbhavaiḥ

Translation

ครั้นเขาทั้งหลายเห็นพระราชาผู้อวัยวะหม่นเทาด้วยธุลี ก็อาศัยเครื่องหมายที่บังเกิดบนกาย ตัดสินว่าเป็นจัณฑาลา

Word by Word

• धूलि-धूसरित-अङ्गम्: (him) whose body was dust-covered
• धूलि-धूसरित-अङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धूलि (प्रातिपदिक) + धूसरित (कृदन्त, धूसर्/धूसरय् धातु) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (धूलिधूसरितम् अङ्गम् यस्य तत्)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ते: they/you (pl.)
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री/नपुंसक (सर्वनाम), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘you (plural)’

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); ‘having seen’

• महीपतिम्: the king (lord of the earth)
• महीपतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महीनां पतिः)

• चण्डालः: a caṇḍāla (outcaste)
• चण्डालः: Pratijna/Predicate (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-निपात (quotative)

• मन्वानाः: thinking
• मन्वानाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘thinking/considering’

• चिह्नैः: by signs/marks
• चिह्नैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• गात्र-समुद्भवैः: arisen from (his) body
• गात्र-समुद्भवैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गात्र (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; सम्+उद्+भू)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; पञ्चमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः—‘गात्रात् समुद्भव’ (arisen from the body)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in a māhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dust-greyed figure of a once-regal king stands at the edge of a serene Vedic hermitage; sages’ attendants recoil, pointing at bodily ‘signs’ and whispering ‘caṇḍāla’.

Characters & Entities

• mahīpati (king)
• caṇḍāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External appearance can mislead; dharma calls for discernment beyond superficial marks and circumstances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the āśrama-tīrtha narrative setting; it does not specify a named tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it sets up a moral and social-dharmic tension within the āśrama encounter.