Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

दाहं संचयनं चक्रे चित्रसेनो महीपतिः । ऋक्षशृङ्गादिसर्वेषां गृहीत्वास्थीनि यत्नतः

Transliteration

dāhaṃ saṃcayanaṃ cakre citraseno mahīpatiḥ | ṛkṣaśṛṅgādisarveṣāṃ gṛhītvāsthīni yatnataḥ

Translation

മഹീപതി ചിത്രസേനൻ ദാഹകർമ്മവും അസ്ഥിസഞ്ചയവും നടത്തി; തുടർന്ന് ഋക്ഷശൃംഗാദികളടക്കം എല്ലാവരുടെയും അസ്ഥികൾ ശ്രദ്ധാപൂർവ്വം ശേഖരിച്ച് മുന്നോട്ട് നീങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• दाहम्: cremation/burning
• दाहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• संचयनम्: collection (of bones)
• संचयनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संचयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• चक्रे: did/performed
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• चित्रसेनः: Citrasena
• चित्रसेनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रसेन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• महीपतिः: the king/lord of the earth
• महीपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; चित्रसेनस्य विशेषणरूपेण (appositional)

• ऋक्षशृङ्गादिसर्वेषाम्: of all (sages) such as Ṛkṣaśṛṅga etc.
• ऋक्षशृङ्गादिसर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्षशृङ्ग + आदि + सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; समासः—(ऋक्षशृङ्गादयः) + सर्वेषाम् = ‘of all beginning with Ṛkṣaśṛṅga’

• गृहीत्वा: having taken
• गृहीत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• अस्थीनि: bones
• अस्थीनि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• यत्नतः: carefully/with effort
• यत्नतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in mourning performs cremation rites and then gathers the white bone-remains with reverence, placing them into a cloth bundle or vessel; attendants and a quiet cremation ground atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Citrasena
• Ṛkṣaśṛṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes responsibility toward the departed—performing last rites with care is portrayed as an act of righteousness and compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this specific verse, but the actions align with the earlier instruction to place remains at the Śūlabheda tīrtha on the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāha (cremation) and saṃcayana (collecting the bones/remains) performed diligently.