Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

शुष्कस्नायुपिनद्धास्थिसंचयं निश्चलाकृतिम् । वल्मीककीटिकाकोटिशोषिताशेषशोणितम्

Transliteration

śuṣkasnāyupinaddhāsthisaṃcayaṃ niścalākṛtim | valmīkakīṭikākoṭiśoṣitāśeṣaśoṇitam

Translation

Sein Leib war zu einer reglosen Gestalt geworden—zu einem Haufen Knochen, von vertrockneten Sehnen zusammengebunden—während unzählige Termiten aus den Hügeln all sein Blut ausgesogen hatten.

Word by Word

• शुष्कस्नायुपिनद्धास्थिसंचयम्: a mass of bones bound with dried sinews
• शुष्कस्नायुपिनद्धास्थिसंचयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुष्क + स्नायु + पिनद्ध + अस्थि + संचय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; ‘शुष्कस्नायु’ (कर्मधारय) + ‘पिनद्ध’ (कृदन्त-विशेषण) + ‘अस्थि-संचय’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• निश्चलाकृतिम्: motionless in form
• निश्चलाकृतिम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चल + आकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण; कर्मधारयः (निश्चला आकृतिः)

• वल्मीककीटिकाकोटिशोषिताशेषशोणितम्: whose entire blood was sucked dry by crores of anthill-insects
• वल्मीककीटिकाकोटिशोषिताशेषशोणितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वल्मीक + कीटिका + कोटि + शोषित + अशेष + शोणित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘वल्मीक-कीटिका-कोटिभिः शोषितम्’ (तृतीया-सम्बन्ध) + ‘अशेष-शोणितम्’ (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Vyāsa (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Valmīka-sthāna in Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpaśārdūla (a king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharmarāja is almost skeletal, bound by dried sinews; an anthill rises around him; swarms of termites cover the body; yet his posture is unwavering, suggesting inner flame despite physical depletion.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja
• Valmīka (anthill/termite mound)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unwavering resolve in dharma-tapas can transcend bodily limitation, making the ascetic a pillar of sacred power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Dharmāraṇya origin narrative, showing how intense tapas sanctifies the region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual is prescribed; it depicts the extremity of ascetic penance (tapas).