Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

मस्तके च तथाकाशं भूमौ च नवधा क्षिपेत् । भूमिशब्देन चरणावाकाशं हृदयं स्मृतम् । शिरस्येव शिरःशब्दो मार्जनं तैरुदाहृतम्

Transliteration

mastake ca tathākāśaṃ bhūmau ca navadhā kṣipet | bhūmiśabdena caraṇāvākāśaṃ hṛdayaṃ smṛtam | śirasyeva śiraḥśabdo mārjanaṃ tairudāhṛtam

Translation

Und ebenso soll man den „Himmel“ auf den Scheitel setzen und die „Erde“ auf den Boden, in neunfacher Weise. Mit dem Wort „Erde“ sind die Füße gemeint; mit „Himmel“ das Herz; und mit „Kopf“ der Kopf selbst—so wird das Mārjana von ihnen erklärt.

Word by Word

• mastake: on the crown (of the head)
• mastake: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mastaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारार्थक (likewise)

• ākāśam: the sky (gesture)
• ākāśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; (क्षिपेत्) कर्म

• bhūmau: on the ground
• bhūmau: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• navadhā: ninefold / nine times
• navadhā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: navadhā (अव्यय; नवन्+धा)
• Form: अव्यय; संख्याप्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (in nine ways/times)

• kṣipet: should throw/place
• kṣipet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣip (क्षिप् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bhūmi-śabdena: by the word ‘bhūmi’
• bhūmi-śabdena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक) + śabda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: भूमेः शब्दः; करण (by the word ‘bhūmi’)

• caraṇau: the two feet
• caraṇau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), द्विवचन; अत्र निर्दिष्टार्थे (the feet)

• ākāśam: ‘ākāśa’ (here)
• ākāśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; अत्र ‘हृदयम्’ इति व्याख्येयार्थ

• hṛdayam: the heart
• hṛdayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; व्याख्येय (meant as)

• smṛtam: is considered/remembered as
• smṛtam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (स्मृ धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (is understood/considered)

• śirasi: on the head
• śirasi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (indeed/only)

• śiraḥ-śabdaḥ: the word ‘śiras’
• śiraḥ-śabdaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक) + śabda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: शिरसः शब्दः (the word ‘śiras’)

• mārjanam: cleansing/sprinkling
• mārjanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; व्याख्येयार्थ (as mārjana)

• taiḥ: by those (terms)
• taiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करण (by them/thereby)

• udāhṛtam: is declared
• udāhṛtam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud + ā + hṛ (हृ धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (is stated/declared)

Speaker

Unspecified (Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa ritual instruction; explanatory gloss)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Navadhā-mārjana (ninefold sprinkling)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Diagrammatic yet devotional scene: the practitioner with highlighted feet, heart, and crown; labels ‘bhūmi/ākāśa/śiras’ as subtle calligraphy; water droplets touching these loci in sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Mārjana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sandhyā purification is both physical and symbolic, mapping ‘earth/sky/head’ to feet/heart/head to sanctify the whole person.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is praised; the focus is the correct understanding of mārjana symbolism.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the ninefold mārjana placements and understand the intended correspondences: bhūmi = feet, ākāśa = heart, śiras = head.