Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

ततः प्रोवाच तं विप्रं स देवो द्विजसत्तमाः । यस्यांगुष्ठाग्रतो मह्यं निष्क्रांतं भस्म पांडुरम्

Transliteration

tataḥ provāca taṃ vipraṃ sa devo dvijasattamāḥ | yasyāṃguṣṭhāgrato mahyaṃ niṣkrāṃtaṃ bhasma pāṃḍuram

Translation

ನಂತರ ಆ ದೇವನು ಆ ವಿಪ್ರನಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದನು—“ಹೇ ದ್ವಿಜಸತ್ತಮ, ನನ್ನ ಅಂಗುಷ್ಠದ ಅಗ್ರದಿಂದ ಪಾಂಡುರ (ಬಿಳಿ) ಭಸ್ಮ ಹೊರಬಂದಿದೆ.”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• provāca: said/spoke
• provāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-vac (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (लिट्, Perfect), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd/प्रथम), Singular (एकवचन)

• tam: to him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• vipram: the brāhmaṇa
• vipram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); apposition to tam

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); apposition to saḥ

• dvijasattama: O best of the twice-born
• dvijasattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘dvijānāṃ sattamaḥ’), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• yasya: whose
• yasya: Śeṣa (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठī), Singular (एकवचन)

• aṅguṣṭhāgrataḥ: from the tip of the thumb
• aṅguṣṭhāgrataḥ: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aṅguṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Avyayībhāva/adverbial formation with -tas; meaning ‘from the tip of the thumb’

• mahyam: for me/to me
• mahyam: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

• niṣkrāntam: that has come out
• niṣkrāntam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nis-kram (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with bhasma

• bhasma: ash
• bhasma: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• pāṇḍuram: pale/whitish
• pāṇḍuram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāṇḍura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with bhasma

Speaker

Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja), speaking to the vipra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (vipra/dvija-sattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva turns to the brāhmaṇa and speaks calmly, drawing attention to the pale ash that has emerged from his thumb-tip; the brāhmaṇa listens in reverent stillness, hands folded.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• bhasma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine signs are presented to guide understanding; Śiva’s bhasma indicates a higher Śaiva dharmic orientation beyond mere marvel-seeking.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in the verse; it continues the tīrtha-māhātmya storyline in Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the focus is on bhasma’s manifestation, a core element of Śaiva religious culture.