Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

तां वीक्ष्य शबरः पत्नीं पूर्ववत्प्रांजलिं स्थिताम् । भस्मावशेषितगृहं यथापूर्वमवस्थितम्

Transliteration

tāṃ vīkṣya śabaraḥ patnīṃ pūrvavatprāṃjaliṃ sthitām | bhasmāvaśeṣitagṛhaṃ yathāpūrvamavasthitam

Translation

ਉਸ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੀ ਪਤਨੀ ਨੂੰ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਵਾਂਗ ਹੱਥ ਜੋੜੇ ਖੜੀ ਵੇਖਿਆ; ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਬਰ ਨੇ ਘਰ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਵੇਖਿਆ—ਭਾਵੇਂ ਉਹ ਰਾਖ ਦਾ ਅਵਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਸੀ—ਤਾਂ ਵੀ ਉਹ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਵਾਂਗ ਹੀ ਥਾਂ ਤੇ ਸਥਿਤ ਦਿਸਿਆ।

Word by Word

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वीक्ष्य: having seen
• वीक्ष्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वीक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having seen’

• शबरः: the Śabara (hunter/tribesman)
• शबरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शबर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पत्नीम्: wife
• पत्नीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूर्ववत्: as before
• पूर्ववत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्ववत् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/रीति-अर्थे (as before)

• प्राञ्जलिम्: with folded hands
• प्राञ्जलिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (hands-folded)

• स्थिताम्: standing
• स्थिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘standing/placed’ (पत्नीम् विशेषयति)

• भस्म-अवशेषित-गृहम्: the house reduced to ashes (only ash remaining)
• भस्म-अवशेषित-गृहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अवशेषित (अव+शिष् धातु, क्त) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भस्मावशेषितं गृहं)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारे (as, just as)

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative); ‘formerly/before’

• अवस्थितम्: standing/remaining (as it was)
• अवस्थितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव+स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (गृहम् विशेषयति)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śabara stands astonished, seeing his wife with folded hands as before; behind her the house appears in its former outline though reduced to ash—an uncanny ‘as-it-was’ presence amid grey remnants.

Characters & Entities

• Śabara
• Śabarī (Śabara-wife)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent devotion (prāñjali-bhāva) and divine grace can overturn ordinary expectations, even amid apparent destruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tīrtha is named in this verse; the emphasis is on Śiva’s wondrous intervention within the Brahmottara narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse highlights a posture of devotion (folded hands) rather than a formal rite.