Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

वामेन पाणिना शिश्नं धृत्वोत्तिष्ठेत्प्रयत्नवान् । अथो मृदं समादद्याज्जंतुकर्क्करवर्जिताम्

Transliteration

vāmena pāṇinā śiśnaṃ dhṛtvottiṣṭhetprayatnavān | atho mṛdaṃ samādadyājjaṃtukarkkaravarjitām

Translation

Tenant l’organe de la main gauche, l’homme vigilant se relèvera avec soin. Puis il prendra de la terre pour la purification, une terre exempte d’insectes et de cailloux.

Word by Word

• vāmena: with the left
• vāmena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (pāṇinā)

• pāṇinā: with the hand
• pāṇinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• śiśnam: penis
• śiśnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiśna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• dhṛtvā: having held
• dhṛtvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धृ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• uttiṣṭhet: should stand up
• uttiṣṭhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• prayatnavān: one who is careful/effortful
• prayatnavān: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prayatna-vat (प्रातिपदिक; -वत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषणम्

• atho: then
• atho: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha + u (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• mṛdam: clay/earth (for cleansing)
• mṛdam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛd (मृद् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• samādadyāt: should take/collect
• samādadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√dā (दा/दा॒ धातु; आदा)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• jaṃtu-karkkara-varjitām: free from insects and pebbles
• jaṃtu-karkkara-varjitām: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jaṃtu (प्रातिपदिक) + karkkara (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (√vṛj/√varj धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (mṛdam); समासः—जंतुभिः कर्क्करैश्च वर्जिता

Speaker

Anonymous Purāṇic narrator (Dharmāraṇya instructional passage; speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close, instructional vignette: a person rising carefully, left hand positioned per rule, right hand free; nearby a small patch of clean earth contrasted with a pebbly/insect-filled patch to show selection criteria.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity is achieved through disciplined, careful practice, using appropriate means (clean earth) without causing harm to living beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse is a general dharma instruction within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use the left hand for holding; for cleansing, take earth that is free from insects and pebbles.