Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

इति श्रुत्वा वचो भृत्यास्तस्या प्राणा बहिश्चराः । वाष्पपूर्णमुखाः सर्वे विधूमं वाक्यमब्रुवन्

Transliteration

iti śrutvā vaco bhṛtyāstasyā prāṇā bahiścarāḥ | vāṣpapūrṇamukhāḥ sarve vidhūmaṃ vākyamabruvan

Translation

فلما سمع الخَدَمُ تلك الكلمات—كأنَّ نَفَسَ حياته قد خرج إلى الخارج—وقفوا ووجوههم مغمورة بالدموع، وتكلّموا جميعًا إلى فيدهوما.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/वाक्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्ति-बोधक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• वचः: speech, words
• वचः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• भृत्याः: the servants
• भृत्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्राणाः: life-breaths, vital spirits
• प्राणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• बहिःचराः: moving outside, outward-going
• बहिःचराः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहिः-चर (प्रातिपदिक; बहिः + चर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural) — विशेषण

• वाष्पपूर्णमुखाः: with faces full of tears
• वाष्पपूर्णमुखाः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाष्प-पूर्ण-मुख (प्रातिपदिक; वाष्प + पूर्ण + मुख)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural) — विशेषण

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• विधूमम्: smokeless, clear
• विधूमम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विधूम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular) — विशेषण

• वाक्यम्: statement
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अब्रुवन्: they said
• अब्रुवन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Vidhūma

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three attendants, overwhelmed, stand with tear-filled faces; their breath seems to ‘move outside’—a poetic sign of shock—while they address Vidhūma in a smoke-less, clear utterance.

Characters & Entities

• Vidhūma
• Attendants (bhṛtyāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True loyalty is shown in sorrow and crisis; devotion (sevā-bhāva) expresses itself as shared suffering and steadfast companionship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukhaṇḍa frames the narrative within the sanctity of Setu/Rāmeśvaram, but this verse itself is a character moment, not a direct tīrtha eulogy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.