Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

पंचाग्निसेवनं कृत्वा धूम्रपानमधोमुखी । कूटाक्षरैः स्तुतस्तैस्तु तोषितो वृषभध्वजः

Transliteration

paṃcāgnisevanaṃ kṛtvā dhūmrapānamadhomukhī | kūṭākṣaraiḥ stutastaistu toṣito vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ

Translation

Nachdem sie die Observanz der fünf Feuer vollzogen und, das Antlitz nach unten gewandt, Rauch getrunken hatte, pries sie Ihn mit rätselhaften Silben; durch diese Lobpreisungen wurde der Herr mit dem Stierbanner (Śiva) erfreut.

Word by Word

• पञ्चाग्निसेवनम्: service/observance of the five fires
• पञ्चाग्निसेवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + अग्नि + सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पञ्चानाम् अग्नीनाम् सेवनम्)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• धूम्रपानम्: smoke-drinking (inhaling smoke)
• धूम्रपानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूम्र + पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (धूम्रस्य पानम्)

• अधोमुखी: (she) facing downward
• अधोमुखी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधस् + मुखिन्/मुखी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अधोमुखः/अधोमुखी = downward-faced)

• कूटाक्षरैः: with cryptic/obscure syllables
• कूटाक्षरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूट + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करणम् (instrumental)

• स्तुतः: praised
• स्तुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-क्त (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; (वृषभध्वजः) स्तुतः

• तैः: by those
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• तोषितः: pleased/satisfied
• तोषितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-क्त (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; (वृषभध्वजः) तोषितः

• वृषभध्वजः: Śiva (whose banner is a bull)
• वृषभध्वजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (यस्य ध्वजः वृषभः सः)

Speaker

Deductive: a Purāṇic narrator addressing a king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic woman performing pañcāgni-tapas: four fires around and the sun overhead; she bends face-downward in a smoke-drinking observance, offering cryptic seed-syllable praises; Śiva with bull-banner is subtly present, pleased.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja)
• Gaurī
• Pañcāgni-tapas
• Stuti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intense austerity and sincere praise, when aligned with devotion, are shown as capable of pleasing Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The practices occur within Dharmāraṇya’s sacred ambit, contributing to the forest’s sanctity in the māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pañcāgni-sevana (five-fire austerity) and stuti (hymnic praise) are explicitly mentioned.