Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

श्रीरुद्र उवाच । आग्नेयमुच्यते भस्म दग्धगोमयसंभवम् । तदेव द्रव्यमित्युक्तं त्रिपुंड्रस्य महामुने

Transliteration

śrīrudra uvāca | āgneyamucyate bhasma dagdhagomayasaṃbhavam | tadeva dravyamityuktaṃ tripuṃḍrasya mahāmune

Translation

Śrī Rudra sprach: „Asche heißt ‘vom Feuer’, denn sie entsteht aus verbranntem Kuhdung. O großer Weiser, allein diese Substanz wird als die rechte für das Auftragen des heiligen Tripuṇḍra verkündet.“

Word by Word

• श्रीरुद्रः: Śrī Rudra
• श्रीरुद्रः: Karta (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीरुद्र (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + रुद्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• आग्नेयम्: belonging to Agni, fiery
• आग्नेयम्: Karma/Predicate (Qualifier of bhasma)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आग्नेय (प्रातिपदिक; अग्नि-सम्बन्धिन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विशेषण

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• भस्म: ash
• भस्म: Karma/Predicate (That which is called)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• दग्धगोमयसंभवम्: produced from burnt cow-dung
• दग्धगोमयसंभवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of bhasma)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दग्ध + गोमय + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विशेषण; (गोमयस्य सम्भवः)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anaphoric (Refers to bhasma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• द्रव्यम्: substance, material
• द्रव्यम्: Predicate noun (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotation marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• उक्तम्: said, stated
• उक्तम्: Kriya (Reported as said)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव

• त्रिपुण्ड्रस्य: of the tripuṇḍra (three ash-lines)
• त्रिपुण्ड्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिपुण्ड्र (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + पुण्ड्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• महामुने: O great sage
• महामुने: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामुनि (प्रातिपदिक; महा + मुनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Rudra (Śiva)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāmune (unnamed sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rudra instructs a great sage on the correct substance for Tripuṇḍra: sacred ash born of fire from burnt cow-dung, held reverently as a ritual implement.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Bhasma
• Tripuṇḍra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva practice treats bhasma as a fire-purified sacred substance, fit for marking the body with Tripuṇḍra as a sign of devotion and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it focuses on Tripuṇḍra ritual discipline within Śaiva dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use bhasma produced from burnt cow-dung as the proper material for applying the Tripuṇḍra.