Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

देवालयाग्रभूमौ तं स्थापयासुरादृताः । भस्मी बभूव सहसा गोवत्साग्रे निरूपितः

Transliteration

devālayāgrabhūmau taṃ sthāpayāsurādṛtāḥ | bhasmī babhūva sahasā govatsāgre nirūpitaḥ

Translation

അവർ ആദരത്തോടെ അവനെ ദേവാലയത്തിന്റെ മുൻഭൂമിയിൽ സ്ഥാപിച്ചു; ഉടൻ തന്നെ അവൻ ഭസ്മമായി—ഗോവത്സത്തിന്റെ മുമ്പിൽ വെച്ചതുപോലെ।

Word by Word

• देवालयाग्रभूमौ: on the forecourt of the temple
• देवालयाग्रभूमौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवालय (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक) + भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समास (place)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्थापयासुः: placed / caused to be set
• स्थापयासुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + causative (णिच्)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• आदृताः: respectful / with reverence
• आदृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आदृत (कृदन्त; √दृ (धातु) + आ-उपसर्ग + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of implied agents)

• भस्मी: ash (into ash)
• भस्मी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग (भस्मीभू = become ash)

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सहसा: suddenly
• सहसा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/रीति-अव्यय (adverb: suddenly)

• गोवत्साग्रे: in front of the calf
• गोवत्साग्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोवत्स (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• निरूपितः: having been placed/positioned
• निरूपितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √रूप्/√रुप् (धातु) + निर्-उपसर्ग + क्त
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (past passive participle)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; purāṇic narrator within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the temple forecourt, elders place the offender down reverently; a sudden flash of divine heat reduces him to ash, the courtyard momentarily illuminated, onlookers stunned.

Characters & Entities

• Devālaya (temple)
• Śiva (implied)
• Bhasma (ashes)
• Go-vatsa (calf)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In a sacred kṣetra, intense divine presence can instantly consume grave adharma, revealing the purifying and judging power of the site.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The temple-front (devālayāgra-bhūmi) of the Dharmāraṇya liṅga—presented as a place of immediate spiritual consequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; the narrative act of placing the karmically impure person before the deity functions as the decisive ‘procedure’.