Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

दग्धं वृंदांगरजसां बिंबं तद्गोलकात्मकम् । कृत्वा तद्भस्मनः शेषं मंदाकिन्यां विचिक्षिपुः

Transliteration

dagdhaṃ vṛṃdāṃgarajasāṃ biṃbaṃ tadgolakātmakam | kṛtvā tadbhasmanaḥ śeṣaṃ maṃdākinyāṃ vicikṣipuḥ

Translation

दग्धं वृन्दाङ्गरजसां बिम्बं तद्गोलकात्मकम्। कृत्वा तद्भस्मनः शेषं मन्दाकिन्यां विचिक्षिपुः॥

Word by Word

• दग्धम्: burnt
• दग्धम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दग्ध (कृदन्त, √दह्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (burnt)

• वृंदा-अङ्ग-रजसाम्: of the dust/ashes of Vṛndā's body
• वृंदा-अङ्ग-रजसाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृंदा (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + रजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• बिम्बम्: a sphere/orb
• बिम्बम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तत्-गोलक-आत्मकम्: having a globular form
• तत्-गोलक-आत्मकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम) + गोलक (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (having the nature of a globe)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (having made)

• तत्-भस्मनः: of that ash
• तत्-भस्मनः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम) + भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• शेषम्: the remainder
• शेषम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• मन्दाकिन्याम्: in the Mandākinī (river)
• मन्दाकिन्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दाकिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (location)

• विचिक्षिपुः: threw / cast
• विचिक्षिपुः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम; उपसर्ग: वि-

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mandākinī

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After cremation, attendants gather the ash; from the finest dust of Vṛndā’s limbs they fashion a smooth spherical orb; the remaining ashes are reverently cast into the flowing Mandākinī.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛndā
• Mandākinī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma treats sacred rivers as carriers of sanctity; contact with them is portrayed as ritually and spiritually potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mandākinī is named as the receiving sacred river; the larger narrative also points to Vṛndāvana near Govardhana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse describes immersion of ashes in a sacred river (asthi-visarjana-like act), presented narratively.