Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

भस्मस्नानं प्रकुर्वंति गण्डुकैः स्नापयन्ति च । एवं व्याकुलतां यातं तपस्विगणमण्डलम्

Transliteration

bhasmasnānaṃ prakurvaṃti gaṇḍukaiḥ snāpayanti ca | evaṃ vyākulatāṃ yātaṃ tapasvigaṇamaṇḍalam

Translation

അവർ ഭസ്മസ്നാനം ചെയ്തു; ഗണ്ഡുകം (ജലപാത്രം) കൊണ്ടു സ്നാപനവും നടത്തി. ഇങ്ങനെ തപസ്വികളുടെ സംഘം തീവ്ര പ്രവർത്തനത്തിൽ വ്യാകുലമായി മാറി।

Word by Word

• भस्मस्नानम्: bath with ash
• भस्मस्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्म-स्नान (प्रातिपदिक; भस्म + स्नान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (भस्मना स्नानम्)

• प्रकुर्वन्ति: perform
• प्रकुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• गण्डुकैः: with water-pots/balls (gaṇḍukas)
• गण्डुकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण्डुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• स्नापयन्ति: bathe (someone), cause to bathe
• स्नापयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) (णिच् causative)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative: ‘cause to bathe’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• व्याकुलताम्: agitation, restlessness
• व्याकुलताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याकुलता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• यातम्: gone to, having reached
• यातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: या (धातु) → यात (कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), विशेषणम् (qualifying तपस्विगणमण्डलम्)

• तपस्विगणमण्डलम्: the circle/assembly of ascetic groups
• तपस्विगणमण्डलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्वि-गण-मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक; तपस्वि + गण + मण्डल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (तपस्विनां गणस्य मण्डलम्)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ascetics smear and bathe with sacred ash; others pour water from small vessels (gaṇḍukā/lotā-like pots) over the liṅga in continuous abhiṣeka. The whole assembly is animated—busy yet reverent—like a living mandala of tapas.

Characters & Entities

• bhasma
• snāna
• tapasvin
• liṅga (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva ascetic markers like bhasma and devotional bathing express both renunciation and reverence, energizing communal worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, shown as a vibrant center of ascetic and ritual practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhasma-snāna (bathing with sacred ash) and bathing/ablution using water-vessels (gaṇḍuka), consistent with liṅga-abhiṣeka.