Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

तच्छीर्षं पततादाशु चाल्पकालेन वै पुनः । ततो हाहाकृतं सर्वं सेंद्राः सर्षिपुरोगमाः

Transliteration

tacchīrṣaṃ patatādāśu cālpakālena vai punaḥ | tato hāhākṛtaṃ sarvaṃ seṃdrāḥ sarṣipurogamāḥ

Translation

“ആ ശിരസ് വേഗത്തിൽ പതിക്കട്ടെ—അതെ, അല്പകാലത്തിനുള്ളിൽ തന്നെ!” അപ്പോൾ ഇന്ദ്രനോടുകൂടിയ ദേവന്മാർ, മുന്നിൽ ഋഷിമാരെ നിർത്തി, എല്ലാവരും ഭീതിയിൽ ‘ഹാ ഹാ’ എന്നു വിലപിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• śīrṣam: head
• śīrṣam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śīrṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• patatāt: let (it) fall
• patatāt: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pat (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Imperative, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (Adverb)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (Conjunction)

• alpa-kālena: in a short time
• alpa-kālena: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Means; temporal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: alpa (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/खलु-अर्थे (Emphatic particle)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/पुनःकर्मप्रवृत्तिबोधक (Adverb)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla/Anvaya (Sequencing)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय; tad-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थे/क्रमबोधक (Ablatival adverb: 'then/from that')

• hāhā-kṛtam: turned into cries of “hā hā”
• hāhā-kṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hāhā (अव्यय/उद्गार) + kṛta (कृ-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• sa-indrāḥ: together with Indra
• sa-indrāḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (अव्यय; सह-अर्थे) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (सह-); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• sa-ṛṣi-purogamāḥ: with sages in the lead
• sa-ṛṣi-purogamāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय; सह) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + puro-gama (प्रातिपदिक; पुरः + गम्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (सह-); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

Speaker

Brahmā (uttering a curse-like command); reaction by the assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, devas, and ṛṣis cry out together as an ominous decree is uttered—hands raised, faces alarmed, the cosmos tense.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Indra
• Devas
• Ṛṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A moment of wrath can create cosmic disturbance; dharma esteems forgiveness and self-control over punitive speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya remains the sacred narrative frame; the ensuing events connect to Viṣṇu’s tapas and tīrtha-creation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the immediate consequence and collective alarm.