Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

शंखोद्धारसमुद्भूतां नित्यं देहे बिभर्त्ति हि । मृत्तिकां दैत्यराजेन्द्र शृणु वक्ष्यामि यत्फलम्

Transliteration

śaṃkhoddhārasamudbhūtāṃ nityaṃ dehe bibhartti hi | mṛttikāṃ daityarājendra śṛṇu vakṣyāmi yatphalam

Translation

ശംഖോദ്ധാരത്തിൽ നിന്നു ജനിച്ച പവിത്ര മൃതിക അവൻ നിത്യം ദേഹത്തിൽ ധരിക്കുന്നു; ഹേ ദൈത്യരാജേന്ദ്ര, കേൾക്കുക—അതിന്റെ ഫലം ഞാൻ പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• शंख-उद्धार-समुद्भूताम्: arisen from the conch-uplift (rite/place)
• शंख-उद्धार-समुद्भूताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्धार (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भूत (कृदन्त; सम्+उद्+√भू)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष-समास (śaṃkha-uddhāra-samudbhūtā = arisen from the ‘conch-uplift’)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: always)

• देहे: in the body
• देहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• बिभर्त्ति: bears/keeps
• बिभर्त्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• मृत्तिकाम्: clay/earth (sacred clay)
• मृत्तिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्तिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दैत्य-राज-इन्द्र: O lord of demon-kings
• दैत्य-राज-इन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + राज (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः तत्पुरुष (daityānāṃ rājā, tasya indraḥ = O chief among demon-kings)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• वक्ष्यामि: I will tell
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• यत्-फलम्: what result
• यत्-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (yat phalam = what fruit/result)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkhoddhāra

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Daityarājendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee applies sacred clay from Śaṅkhoddhāra as tilaka on forehead and limbs; the clay is shown as emerging near a conch-related sacred spot. Skanda addresses the Daitya lord, gesturing to the devotee’s marked body as radiant and protected.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkhoddhāra
• Daityarājendra (addressed listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred substances connected to a tīrtha (like holy clay) are to be honored and worn as embodied devotion, yielding defined spiritual fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā’s sacred complex, specifically the holy clay associated with Śaṅkhoddhāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Wearing/bearing the Śaṅkhoddhāra-origin mṛttikā on the body (a form of tilaka/puṇḍra practice).