Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

मुक्तिकामैर्नरैः सेव्यं पुनस्तेषां न संभवः । त्रिपुंड्रं कुरुते यस्तु भस्मना विधिपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

muktikāmairnaraiḥ sevyaṃ punasteṣāṃ na saṃbhavaḥ | tripuṃḍraṃ kurute yastu bhasmanā vidhipūrvakam

Translation

ينبغي أن يُتعبَّد بهذا من يبتغي المُكْشَا؛ فلهؤلاء لا يكون ميلادٌ آخر. وأمّا من يرسم التِّرِبُونْدْرَا بالرماد المقدّس على الوجه المقرَّر شرعًا—(فإنه ينال تلك المنزلة).

Word by Word

• mukti-kāmaiḥ: by those desiring liberation
• mukti-kāmaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukti + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘मुक्तिं कामयन्ति ये’

• naraiḥ: by men
• naraiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• sevyam: is to be practiced/served
• sevyam: Kriyā (Predicate; obligation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sev (सेव्) (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्यय: यत्/अनीयर्-भाव (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (ought to be served)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• saṃbhavaḥ: possibility/occurrence (rebirth)
• saṃbhavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tripuṃḍram: tripuṇḍra
• tripuṃḍram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + puṃḍra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• kurute: does/makes/applies
• kurute: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• bhasmanā: with ash
• bhasmanā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• vidhi-pūrvakam: according to rule, duly
• vidhi-pūrvakam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhi + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial)

Speaker

Deductive attribution: Purāṇic narrator (likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A renunciate-like devotee (or any seeker) carefully prepares sacred ash and draws three horizontal lines on the forehead with composed focus, suggesting the path to apunarbhava.

Characters & Entities

• Tripuṇḍra
• Bhasma
• Mukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A disciplined Śaiva mark (Tripuṇḍra with bhasma), done correctly, is upheld as a liberation-oriented practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the focus is on a pan-Purāṇic Śaiva rite (bhasma and Tripuṇḍra).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Apply the Tripuṇḍra using sacred ash (bhasma) in a vidhi-pūrvaka (rule-based) manner.