Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

को वेद भस्मसामर्थ्यं महादेवा दृते परः । दुर्विभाव्यं यथा शंभोर्माहात्म्यं भस्मनस्तथा

Transliteration

ko veda bhasmasāmarthyaṃ mahādevā dṛte paraḥ | durvibhāvyaṃ yathā śaṃbhormāhātmyaṃ bhasmanastathā

Translation

Siapakah selain Mahādeva yang benar-benar mengetahui keupayaan bhasma? Sebagaimana keagungan Śambhu sukar diselami, demikian juga kemuliaan bhasma sukar difahami sepenuhnya.

Word by Word

• kaḥ: who?
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्न-सर्वनाम

• veda: knows
• veda: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (विद् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect; present-like sense), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• bhasma-sāmarthyam: the power of ash
• bhasma-sāmarthyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman + sāmarthya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: भस्मनः सामर्थ्यम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• mahādeva: O Mahādeva
• mahādeva: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग

• dṛte: except, without
• dṛte: Sambandha (Exclusion)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛte (अव्यय; √dṛ/√dar? as gerundial indecl.)
• Form: वर्जनार्थक-अव्यय (excepting, without)

• paraḥ: another (person)
• paraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• dur-vibhāvyam: hard to comprehend
• dur-vibhāvyam: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + √bhū/√bhāv? (भाव् धातु) + ya (यत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्-प्रत्यय: vibhāvya ‘to be conceived’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; दुर्गमत्व-विशेषणम् (hard to conceive)

• yathā: as, just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/तुलनार्थक-अव्यय (as, just as)

• śambhoḥ: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• śambhoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śambhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• māhātmyam: greatness, glory
• māhātmyam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• bhasmanaḥ: of ash
• bhasmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• tathā: so, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Comparator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: तुलनार्थक-अव्यय (so, likewise)

Speaker

Vāmadeva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhasma (Vibhūti)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The seeker/questioner

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative moment: the sage speaks of the unknowable magnitude of Śiva and bhasma; the composition emphasizes stillness—minimal gestures, deep gaze, and a quiet aura around the ash marks.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva
• Śambhu
• Bhasma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain sacred realities—Śiva’s nature and the sanctity of bhasma—surpass ordinary cognition and are known fully only to the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse is a theological praise of Śiva and bhasma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse functions as stuti (praise) establishing bhasma’s exalted status.