Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

मुक्तिकामैर्नरैः सेव्यं पुनस्तेषां न संभवः । त्रिपुंड्रं कुरुते यस्तु भस्मना विधिपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

muktikāmairnaraiḥ sevyaṃ punasteṣāṃ na saṃbhavaḥ | tripuṃḍraṃ kurute yastu bhasmanā vidhipūrvakam

Translation

മോക്ഷം ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവർ ഇത് അനുഷ്ഠിക്കണം; അവർക്കു വീണ്ടും ജന്മം സംഭവിക്കുകയില്ല. വിധിപൂർവ്വം ഭസ്മംകൊണ്ട് ത്രിപുണ്ഡ്രം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ ആ പരമഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• mukti-kāmaiḥ: by those desiring liberation
• mukti-kāmaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukti + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘मुक्तिं कामयन्ति ये’

• naraiḥ: by men
• naraiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• sevyam: is to be practiced/served
• sevyam: Kriyā (Predicate; obligation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sev (सेव्) (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्यय: यत्/अनीयर्-भाव (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (ought to be served)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• saṃbhavaḥ: possibility/occurrence (rebirth)
• saṃbhavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tripuṃḍram: tripuṇḍra
• tripuṃḍram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + puṃḍra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• kurute: does/makes/applies
• kurute: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• bhasmanā: with ash
• bhasmanā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• vidhi-pūrvakam: according to rule, duly
• vidhi-pūrvakam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhi + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial)

Speaker

Deductive attribution: Purāṇic narrator (likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A renunciate-like devotee (or any seeker) carefully prepares sacred ash and draws three horizontal lines on the forehead with composed focus, suggesting the path to apunarbhava.

Characters & Entities

• Tripuṇḍra
• Bhasma
• Mukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A disciplined Śaiva mark (Tripuṇḍra with bhasma), done correctly, is upheld as a liberation-oriented practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the focus is on a pan-Purāṇic Śaiva rite (bhasma and Tripuṇḍra).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Apply the Tripuṇḍra using sacred ash (bhasma) in a vidhi-pūrvaka (rule-based) manner.