Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

वामः कामो मनुष्येषु सत्यमेतद्वचो यतः । स्पृहणीयासि सर्वेषामेवं पीडयसे वपुः

Transliteration

vāmaḥ kāmo manuṣyeṣu satyametadvaco yataḥ | spṛhaṇīyāsi sarveṣāmevaṃ pīḍayase vapuḥ

Translation

Ang pagnanasa sa mga tao ay baluktot—tunay ang salitang ito. Sapagkat bagaman ikaw ay minimithi ng lahat, pinahihirapan mo pa rin ang iyong katawan nang ganito.

Word by Word

• वामः: perverse/contrary
• वामः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• कामः: desire/lust
• कामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मनुष्येषु: among humans
• मनुष्येषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Pradhāna-viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Determiner)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; संकेतक (demonstrative)

• वचः: statement/word
• वचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यतः: because/since
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कारणार्थक (causal)

• स्पृहणीयासि: you are to be desired/longed for
• स्पृहणीयासि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृहणीय (कृदन्त; √स्पृह् (धातु) + अनीय)
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण (gerundive/नीयत्); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘असि’ (लट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन) इति लुप्त-सम्बन्धः

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• एवम्: thus/in this way
• एवम्: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb of manner)

• पीडयसे: you torment/afflict
• पीडयसे: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पीड् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वपुः: body
• वपुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Brahmacārin/Vratī (ascetic) addressing Pārvatī

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A speaker admonishes Pārvatī: the world calls desire perverse; the maiden’s austerity is shown as bodily emaciation, contrasted with an unseen but implied Śiva beyond social norms.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Kāma (desire, as concept)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly desire is unstable and contradictory; true spiritual resolve may reject even what the world prizes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is moral-psychological reflection within the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it contrasts worldly attraction with ascetic self-discipline.