Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

चतुर्थं युक्तं शेषेण ब्रह्मबीजमृषिस्तथा । पंचमं कालबीजं च षष्ठं पार्थिव बीजकम्

Transliteration

caturthaṃ yuktaṃ śeṣeṇa brahmabījamṛṣistathā | paṃcamaṃ kālabījaṃ ca ṣaṣṭhaṃ pārthiva bījakam

Translation

നാലാമത്തെ അംശം ശേഷിക്കുന്ന അക്ഷരങ്ങളോടു ചേർക്കണം; ബ്രഹ്മബീജത്തോടൊപ്പം ഋഷിയെയും നിർദ്ദേശിക്കണം. അഞ്ചാമത് കാലബീജം, ആറാമത് പാർത്ഥിവ (പൃഥ്വി) ബീജം.

Word by Word

• चतुर्थम्: the fourth
• चतुर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• युक्तम्: joined/connected
• युक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु) → युक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Past passive participle, Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• शेषेण: by/with the remainder
• शेषेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• ब्रह्मबीजम्: the Brahma-seed (seed of Brahmā)
• ब्रह्मबीजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म + बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ब्रह्मणः बीजम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• ऋषिः: the sage
• ऋषिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• तथा: thus/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) (Indeclinable adverb)

• पञ्चमम्: the fifth
• पञ्चमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• कालबीजम्: the time-seed (seed of Kāla)
• कालबीजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: कालस्य बीजम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात) (Conjunction)

• षष्ठम्: the sixth
• षष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• पार्थिव: earthly/pertaining to earth
• पार्थिव: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• बीजकम्: a seed (seed-formula)
• बीजकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीजक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic dialogue context within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seated ascetic-teacher demonstrates a palm-leaf diagram of mantra-aṅgas; subtle glyphs for brahma-bīja, kāla-bīja, and pṛthvī-bīja hover as luminous syllables around the practitioner performing nyāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred power is approached through disciplined method (vidhi): even subtle elements like bīja, ṛṣi, and sequence are treated as dharma-bound practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is the implied sacred setting; the verse itself focuses on mantra-structure rather than describing a particular tīrtha episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A technical prescription for combining mantra-parts and specifying bīja/ṛṣi in a numbered sequence.