Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्वनालमधोवक्त्रं हृदि पद्मं प्रकीर्त्यते । हृत्पद्मवामतः प्लीहो दक्षिणे स्यात्तथा यकृत्

Transliteration

ūrdhvanālamadhovaktraṃ hṛdi padmaṃ prakīrtyate | hṛtpadmavāmataḥ plīho dakṣiṇe syāttathā yakṛt

Translation

دل میں ایک کنول کہا گیا ہے—اس کی نالی اوپر کی طرف اور اس کا دہانہ نیچے کی طرف ہے۔ دل کے کنول کے بائیں جانب تلی اور دائیں جانب اسی طرح جگر ہوتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• ūrdhva-nālam-adhaḥ-vaktram: having the stalk upward and the mouth downward
• ūrdhva-nālam-adhaḥ-vaktram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक) + nāla (प्रातिपदिक) + adhaḥ (अव्यय) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः—‘ऊर्ध्वं नालं यस्य, अधो वक्त्रं यस्य’ इत्यर्थे (पद्मम् इति विशेषणम्)

• hṛdi: in the heart
• hṛdi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• padmam: lotus
• padmam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• prakīrtyate: is proclaimed/said
• prakīrtyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + kīrt (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive)

• hṛt-padmavāmataḥ: to the left of the heart-lotus
• hṛt-padmavāmataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hṛt (प्रातिपदिक) + padma (प्रातिपदिक) + vāma (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्ययम् (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; तत्पुरुष-समासः (हृत्पद्मस्य वामतः)

• plīhaḥ: spleen
• plīhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: plīhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• dakṣiṇe: on the right (side)
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; दिशावाचक-शब्दः

• syāt: would be / is (as stated)
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (potential/optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Samuccaya (Coordination/समuच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक-अव्ययम् (also/likewise)

• yakṛt: liver
• yakṛt: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yakṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hṛdaya-padma (inner tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija / disciple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous heart-lotus inside a translucent torso, lotus inverted with stalk rising; spleen and liver shown as flanking forms; a subtle deity-light seated within the lotus.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

By describing the heart as a lotus, it points to the heart as an inner sacred seat—supporting contemplative disciplines and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No external sacred geography is mentioned; the verse presents an inner ‘sacred geography’ of the body.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it provides an anatomical-symbolic teaching.