Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

अरुंधत्युवाच । बिसतंतुर्यथा नित्यं समंतान्नालसंस्थितः । तृष्णा चैवमनाद्यंता तथा देहाश्रिता सदा

Transliteration

aruṃdhatyuvāca | bisataṃturyathā nityaṃ samaṃtānnālasaṃsthitaḥ | tṛṣṇā caivamanādyaṃtā tathā dehāśritā sadā

Translation

อรุณธตีกล่าวว่า: ดุจเส้นใยบัวที่แผ่ซ่านอยู่ทั่วก้านบัวเป็นนิตย์ ฉันใด ตัณหาอันไร้ต้นไร้ปลายก็ฉันนั้น ย่อมอาศัยกายและเกาะติดอยู่เสมอ

Word by Word

• अरुन्धती: Arundhatī
• अरुन्धती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरुन्धती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• बिस-तन्तुः: the lotus-fibre
• बिस-तन्तुः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिस (प्रातिपदिक) + तन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (बिसस्य तन्तुः)

• यथा: as/just like
• यथा: Avyaya (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative ‘as/like’)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Adhikarana (Adverbial locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverbial accusative)

• समन्तात्: on all sides
• समन्तात्: Desha-adhikarana (Spatial adverbial/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्तम् (ablatival adverb) = ‘on all sides/from all around’

• नाल-संस्थितः: situated in the stalk
• नाल-संस्थितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाल (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्-√स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; क्त-कृदन्तः ‘संस्थित’ = situated; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (नाले संस्थितः)

• तृष्णा: craving/thirst
• तृष्णा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एवम्: thus/in this way
• एवम्: Avyaya (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• अनादि-अन्ता: beginningless (and) ending (i.e., without beginning, with an end)
• अनादि-अन्ता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (अनादिः च अन्तः च यस्याः/या) = beginningless and ending

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Avyaya (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; तुल्यतावाचक (so/likewise)

• देह-आश्रिता: resting on the body
• देह-आश्रिता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + आ-√श्रि (धातु) → आश्रित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; क्त-कृदन्तः ‘आश्रित’ = dependent on/attached to; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (देहम् आश्रिता)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Arundhatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Arundhatī teaches with a lotus in hand: she draws out fine lotus-fibre from the stalk, showing how it runs throughout—symbolizing craving clinging to the body.

Characters & Entities

• Arundhatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Craving is deeply interwoven with bodily identification; liberation requires disentangling from that attachment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is placed in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya narrative, encouraging inner cleansing alongside pilgrimage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it urges awareness and renunciation of tṛṣṇā.