Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

ततश्छित्त्वा शिरस्तस्य कुठारेण भृगूद्वहः । जग्राह रुधिरं यत्नात्प्रहारेभ्यः स्वयं द्विजाः

Transliteration

tataśchittvā śirastasya kuṭhāreṇa bhṛgūdvahaḥ | jagrāha rudhiraṃ yatnātprahārebhyaḥ svayaṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

จากนั้น ยอดคนแห่งตระกูลภฤคุได้ตัดศีรษะของเขาด้วยขวาน พราหมณ์ผู้นั้นได้รองรับเลือดจากบาดแผลด้วยตนเองอย่างระมัดระวัง

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: ‘then/thereafter’

• छित्त्वा: having cut
• छित्त्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); छिद्-धातोः; अर्थः ‘having cut’

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/that (person)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक; षष्ठी विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• कुठारेण: with an axe
• कुठारेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुठार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• भृगूद्वहः: the foremost of the Bhṛgus
• भृगूद्वहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृगु + उद्वह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘भृगूणाम् उद्वहः’

• जग्राह: took, seized
• जग्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• रुधिरम्: blood
• रुधिरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• यत्नात्: with effort, carefully
• यत्नात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; अर्थे ‘with effort/from effort’

• प्रहारेभ्यः: from the blows/strikes
• प्रहारेभ्यः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति (अपादान), बहुवचन

• स्वयम्: himself, personally
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable; अर्थे ‘oneself/personally’

• द्विजाः: the Brahmins (twice-born)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta continuing the account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern Bhṛgu-sage stands over a fallen foe; with an axe he has severed the head and now carefully gathers blood from the wounds into vessels, the act framed as purposeful rather than chaotic.

Characters & Entities

• Bhṛgu lineage
• Rāma (Paraśurāma)
• kuṭhāra (axe)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narrative links action and ritual consequence—events in the world are redirected toward rites connected with pitṛs and sacred places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider passage is oriented to Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, where a pit for pitṛ-tarpaṇa is mentioned shortly after.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The careful collecting of blood anticipates a later instruction to deposit it into a prepared pit (gartā) associated with pitṛ-tarpaṇa.