Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

तां स्पृष्टमात्रां सहसा तप्तायःपिंडसन्निभाम् । निर्दहंतीमिवात्मानं तत्याज भयविह्वलः

Transliteration

tāṃ spṛṣṭamātrāṃ sahasā taptāyaḥpiṃḍasannibhām | nirdahaṃtīmivātmānaṃ tatyāja bhayavihvalaḥ

Translation

Sobald er sie berührte, erschien sie ihm wie ein glühender Eisenklumpen; als brenne sie sein eigenes Wesen, wich er erschrocken zurück und ließ sie los, vor Furcht bebend.

Word by Word

• tām: her
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम ‘तद्’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• spṛṣṭa-mātrām: only just touched
• spṛṣṭa-mātrām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: spṛṣṭa (√spṛś धातु; कृदन्त) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय-प्रायः: ‘स्पृष्टा एव मात्रम्’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• sahasā: suddenly
• sahasā: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasā (अव्यय/निपातवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• tapta-āyaḥ-piṇḍa-sannibhām: like a lump of heated iron
• tapta-āyaḥ-piṇḍa-sannibhām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + āyas (प्रातिपदिक) + piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + sannibha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘तप्तायःपिण्डसदृशी’

• nirdahantīm: burning
• nirdahantīm: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√dah (धातु) → dahantī (शतृ/वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘burning’

• iva: as if
• iva: Sambandha (Simile marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमा-निपात (particle of comparison)

• ātmānam: himself
• ātmānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• tatyāja: abandoned/let go
• tatyāja: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhaya-vihvalaḥ: overwhelmed with fear
• bhaya-vihvalaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + vihvala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, unspecified in snippet)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka-group (frame assumed; not explicit in excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the instant of touch, the queen’s body blazes like heated iron; the king jerks back, fear-struck, as if scorched by invisible flames.

Characters & Entities

• King
• Virtuous queen

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual purity and mantra-born tapas act as protection; adharma meets immediate inner suffering and fear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No pilgrimage site is named; the focus is on the protective power of sanctity and mantra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, spiritual discipline and mantra practice are indicated as sources of protective tapas.