Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

वाजिवारणलोहानां काष्ठपाषाणवाससाम् । नारीपुरुषतोयानामंतरं महदंतरम्

Transliteration

vājivāraṇalohānāṃ kāṣṭhapāṣāṇavāsasām | nārīpuruṣatoyānāmaṃtaraṃ mahadaṃtaram

Translation

马、象与金属之间；木、石与布帛之间；以及女子、男子与水之间——皆有重大而根本的差别。

Word by Word

• vāji-vāraṇa-lohānām: of horses, elephants, and iron
• vāji-vāraṇa-lohānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vājin (प्रातिपदिक) + vāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + loha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/इतरेतर); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समूहार्थ, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive: 'of horses, elephants, and iron')

• kāṣṭha-pāṣāṇa-vāsasām: of wood, stone, and cloth/garments
• kāṣṭha-pāṣāṇa-vāsasām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṣāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समूहार्थ, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• nārī-puruṣa-toyānām: of women, men, and water
• nārī-puruṣa-toyānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक) + puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + toya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समूहार्थ, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• antaram: difference, interval
• antaram: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate: 'difference')

• mahat: great
• mahat: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणं (qualifying antaram)

• antaram: difference
• antaram: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-बल (emphatic repetition)

Speaker

Nakula (contextual continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau showing contrasted triads: horse vs elephant vs metal implements; wood vs stone vs cloth; and symbolic figures of woman, man, and flowing water—arranged as panels illustrating ‘great differences’.

Characters & Entities

• Women (nārī)
• Men (puruṣa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires discernment (viveka): one should recognize real distinctions rather than treating all things as identical.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a general dharmic observation within the discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a reflective statement supporting ethical discernment.