Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अङ्गुष्ठाङ्गुलियोगेन तच्छिरस्तेन कृन्तितम् । कृत्तमात्रे तु शिरसि ब्रह्महत्याऽभवत्तदा

Transliteration

aṅguṣṭhāṅguliyogena tacchirastena kṛntitam | kṛttamātre tu śirasi brahmahatyā'bhavattadā

Translation

Durch das Zusammenfügen von Daumen und Finger wurde jenes Haupt abgetrennt. Doch in dem Augenblick, als das Haupt abgeschlagen war, entstand die Sünde des Brahmanenmordes (Brahmahatyā).

Word by Word

• अङ्गुष्ठ-अङ्गुलि-योगेन: by the joining of thumb and finger
• अङ्गुष्ठ-अङ्गुलि-योगेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्गुलि (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्-शिरः: that head
• तत्-शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृन्तितम्: was cut
• कृन्तितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृन्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• कृत्त-मात्रे: when it was merely cut / at the moment of cutting
• कृत्त-मात्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्त (कृन्त्-धातु, क्त कृदन्त) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: indeed, then
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Connector/सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• शिरसि: in/on the head
• शिरसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रह्म-हत्या: the sin of Brahmin-slaying (brahmahatyā)
• ब्रह्म-हत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अभवत्: arose, came to be
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (Rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śambhu, with a subtle hand gesture—thumb and finger joined—severs the horse-faced head; at the instant of cutting, a dark, personified shadow of brahmahatyā arises and clings.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied as agent: Śambhu from prior verse)
• Brahmahatyā (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma dramatizes the gravity of brahmahatyā by narrating its immediate arising from a transgressive act, setting the stage for teachings on purification and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha is not named in this verse; it forms part of the origin-story explaining why Dhauta-pāpa becomes a sin-destroying place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the causal origin of the sin (brahmahatyā) that later tīrtha practices are said to remove.