Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

जालिगुल्मांतरेऽन्विष्य ततो दृष्टं निजं शिरः । अस्थिचर्मावशेषं च तदादाय प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

jāligulmāṃtare'nviṣya tato dṛṣṭaṃ nijaṃ śiraḥ | asthicarmāvaśeṣaṃ ca tadādāya prayatnataḥ

Translation

झाड़ियों और झुरमुटों के बीच खोजते हुए उसने तब अपना ही सिर देखा। हड्डियों और त्वचा के जो अवशेष थे, उन्हें भी उसने बड़े प्रयत्न से सावधानीपूर्वक उठा लिया।

Word by Word

• जालि-गुल्म-अन्तरे: in the midst of the thicket (of shrubs)
• जालि-गुल्म-अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जालि (प्रातिपदिक) + गुल्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जालिगुल्मयोः अन्तरम्)

• अन्विष्य: having searched
• अन्विष्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अन्विष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; धातुः—अन्विष् (अन्वेषणे)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequencing/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रमवाचक (then/thereafter)

• दृष्टम्: was seen
• दृष्टम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; धातुः—दृश् (दर्शन)

• निजम्: one's own
• निजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शिरः)

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• अस्थि-चर्म-अवशेषम्: the remaining bones and skin
• अस्थि-चर्म-अवशेषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + चर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अवशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अस्थिचर्मयोः अवशेषः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; धातुः—दा (दाने/ग्रहणे), उपसर्गः—आ

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort
• प्रयत्नतः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (instrumental adverb); प्रकारवाचक (with effort)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saṅgama (unnamed in excerpt)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary woman searches through dense shrubs by a river confluence, discovering and carefully gathering skull, bones, and remnants of skin—somber yet resolute.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Facing impermanence directly and performing proper acts connected to sacred places becomes a means of purification and closure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse implies the journey’s sacred locale; the named tīrthas appear in surrounding verses (Staṃbha-tīrtha and the saṅgama).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Preparation for funerary/purificatory action is implied by collecting remains; the explicit act follows in the next verse.