Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

ध्यानकाष्ठे न संवाद ऋक्षरूपेण ते यदा । तदा निर्धूय सिंहत्वं यक्षरूपमवाप्स्यसि

Transliteration

dhyānakāṣṭhe na saṃvāda ṛkṣarūpeṇa te yadā | tadā nirdhūya siṃhatvaṃ yakṣarūpamavāpsyasi

Translation

നീ ഋക്ഷരൂപത്തിലുള്ള ധ്യാനകാഷ്ഠനോടു സംവദിക്കുന്നപ്പോൾ, സിംഹത്വം നീക്കി യക്ഷരൂപം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• ध्यानकाष्ठे: in/with Dhyānakāṣṭha
• ध्यानकाष्ठे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान + काष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• संवादः: conversation/speech
• संवादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ऋक्षरूपेण: in the form of a bear
• ऋक्षरूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्ष + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ऋक्षस्य रूपम्)

• ते: your/of you
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन रूपम्; अत्र षष्ठी (तव) अधिकं युक्तम्

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-कालवाचक अव्यय (correlative adverb: when)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-कालवाचक अव्यय (then)

• निर्धूय: having shaken off
• निर्धूय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर् + धू (धातु) → निर्धूय (कृदन्त, ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययभाव-क्त्वान्त (ल्यप्/त्वा-प्रत्यय), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having shaken off)

• सिंहत्वम्: lionhood
• सिंहत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह + त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भाववाचक (state of being a lion)

• यक्षरूपम्: Yakṣa-form
• यक्षरूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः

• अवाप्स्यसि: you will attain
• अवाप्स्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्/Future), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Bhadra (quoting Gautama’s prior statement about śāpānta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu/Setubandha (Rāmeśvara kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The cursed being (later Yakṣa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A foretold condition is stated: when Dhyānakāṣṭha, taking the form of a bear, converses with the cursed being, the lion-form will be shed and a Yakṣa form attained.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Dhyānakāṣṭha
• Bhadra
• Ṛkṣa (bear)
• Yakṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Release from bondage comes through divinely arranged encounters with saints; right dialogue and humility become instruments of liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; the Setukhaṇḍa context suggests sacred space enabling redemption, but no named tīrtha appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it states a condition for śāpamokṣa (ending of the curse).