Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

नीलदारु यदा भिद्येद्ब्राह्मणानां शरीरके । शोणितं दृश्यते तत्र द्विजश्चान्द्रायणं चरेत्

Transliteration

nīladāru yadā bhidyedbrāhmaṇānāṃ śarīrake | śoṇitaṃ dṛśyate tatra dvijaścāndrāyaṇaṃ caret

Translation

إن اخترق خشبُ «النِّيلَ» جسدَ براهمنٍ وظهر الدمُ هناك، فعلى ذاك المولودِ مرّتَين أن يسلك كفّارة «تشاندرايانا» (Cāndrāyaṇa).

Word by Word

• नीलदारु: the blue wood (nīla-wood)
• नीलदारु: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नील + दारु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (नीलं दारु)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय

• भिद्येत्: should be split/broken
• भिद्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• ब्राह्मणानाम्: of brahmins
• ब्राह्मणानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• शरीरके: in the body
• शरीरके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• शोणितम्: blood
• शोणितम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोणित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Adverbial location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• द्विजः: a twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• आन्द्रायणम्: the cāndrāyaṇa penance
• आन्द्रायणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आन्द्रायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; प्रायश्चित्तविशेषः

• चरेत्: should perform/practice
• चरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopyāditya (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘devi’ in the surrounding passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained dharma-scene: a brāhmaṇa’s body lightly wounded by a blue-tinged piece of nīla-wood; a small trace of blood is noticed; elders prescribe Cāndrāyaṇa, emphasizing purification and calm resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija
• Cāndrāyaṇa (penance)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links bodily contact and ritual status, prescribing serious penance (Cāndrāyaṇa) for grave defilements.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse remains within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, where observance standards are taught as part of Prabhāsa’s sacred discipline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

If nīla-wood pierces a brāhmaṇa and blood appears, the prescribed expiation is Cāndrāyaṇa.