Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण उवाच । गोवाटचूर्णमादाय गर्तां भृत्वा स्वमानजाम् । शयनं तत्र कर्तव्यं यावद्वक्त्रेण यादव

Transliteration

brāhmaṇa uvāca | govāṭacūrṇamādāya gartāṃ bhṛtvā svamānajām | śayanaṃ tatra kartavyaṃ yāvadvaktreṇa yādava

Translation

Der Brāhmaṇa sprach: „Nimm das Pulver aus Kuhdung (oder Erde aus dem Kuhstall) und fülle damit eine Grube, die nach dem Maß deines eigenen Körpers ausgehoben ist. O Yādava, man soll sich dort niederlegen—bis zum Maß des Gesichts.“

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणः: the brāhmaṇa
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• गोवाटचूर्णम्: powder of cow-dung (cow-pen dust)
• गोवाटचूर्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोवाट + चूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial to action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having taken’

• गर्ताम्: a pit
• गर्ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• भृत्वा: having filled
• भृत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having filled/brought’

• स्वमानजाम्: of one’s own measure
• स्वमानजाम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + मानजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘of one’s own measure’ (गर्ताम् इति विशेषण)

• शयनम्: lying down; a bed/rest
• शयनम्: Karya/vidheya (That to be done/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• कर्तव्यम्: should be done
• कर्तव्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Gerundive/Obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘to be done’ (शयनम् इति विधेयविशेषण)

• यावत्: as much as; up to
• यावत्: Pramāṇa (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (until/as much as)

• वक्त्रेण: by/with the mouth
• वक्त्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• यादव: O Yādava
• यादव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यादव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa (ritual instructor)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tiṃginī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sāmba (Yādava)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa demonstrates a ritual: a shallow pit is prepared; cow-pen earth/powder is gathered; the devotee is instructed to lie within the pit up to the face level, emphasizing measured austerity.

Characters & Entities

• Yādava (Sāmba)
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Atonement is portrayed as disciplined bodily austerity undertaken with precise rules and humility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rite is part of the Tiṃginī-related tīrtha/expiation narrative within the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prepare a pit to one’s measure, use govāṭa-cūrṇa as the filling/covering medium, and lie down according to the stated facial measure.