Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

एतत्त्रिपुंड्रमाहात्म्यं समासात्कथितं मया । रहस्यं सर्वभूतानां गोपनीयमिदं त्वया

Transliteration

etattripuṃḍramāhātmyaṃ samāsātkathitaṃ mayā | rahasyaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ gopanīyamidaṃ tvayā

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ ഞാൻ ത്രിപുണ്ഡ്രത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം സംക്ഷേപമായി പറഞ്ഞു. ഇത് സകല ജീവികൾക്കും രഹസ്യം; നീ ഇതിനെ ഗോപ്യമായി സംരക്ഷിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘माहात्म्यम्’

• त्रिपुंड्र: of the tripuṇḍra
• त्रिपुंड्र: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंड्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे पूर्वपद (compound member); ‘of the tripuṇḍra’ (as first member in next compound)

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karta/Pratipadyam (Subject/प्रस्तुत)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समासात्: briefly
• समासात्: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे ‘in brief/summarily’

• कथितम्: has been told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘has been told’

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by me’

• रहस्यम्: secret
• रहस्यम्: Pratipadyam (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रहस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वभूतानाम्: of all beings
• सर्वभूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (भूत), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय ‘सर्वाणि भूतानि’ → ‘of all beings’

• गोपनीयम्: to be kept secret
• गोपनीयम्: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुप् (धातु)
• Form: अनीयर्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/भाव्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘to be kept secret’

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta/Pratipadyam (Subject/प्रस्तुत)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘by you’

Speaker

Rudra (Śiva) (contextual)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sanatkumāra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rudra instructs Sanatkumāra in a secluded sacred grove; the sage receives the teaching with folded hands; a subtle veil motif symbolizes secrecy and guarded transmission.

Characters & Entities

• Tripuṇḍra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred practices have inner meaning (rahasya) and should be transmitted responsibly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the “māhātmya” here is of Tripuṇḍra itself rather than a geographical tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a ritual act, but a discipline of secrecy/guarded transmission regarding Tripuṇḍra’s teaching.