Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र स्थाने तु यो भक्त्या कुरुते ह्यङ्गगुण्ठनम् । तस्य यत्फलमुद्दिष्टं तच्छृणुष्व नराधिप

Transliteration

tatra sthāne tu yo bhaktyā kurute hyaṅgaguṇṭhanam | tasya yatphalamuddiṣṭaṃ tacchṛṇuṣva narādhipa

Translation

پس اُس مقدّس مقام میں جو شخص عقیدت کے ساتھ اپنے اعضاء پر بھسم (مقدّس راکھ) کا لیپ/ڈھانپ کرتا ہے—اے مردوں کے حاکم! اُس عمل کا جو پھل بیان کیا گیا ہے، وہ سنو۔

Word by Word

• तत्र: there, in that place
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb of place

• स्थाने: in the place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/पदार्थ-विशेषक) — particle (contrast/emphasis)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental singular

• कुरुते: does, performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person singular (Ātmanepada)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle (indeed/for)

• अङ्गगुण्ठनम्: covering/veiling of the body (smearing/covering rite)
• अङ्गगुण्ठनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण्ठन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अङ्गस्य गुण्ठनम्)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular (of him/of that)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — Neuter singular (relative pronoun)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular

• उद्दिष्टम्: declared, stated
• उद्दिष्टम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्-√दिश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Past passive participle, Neuter singular (described/declared)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन — Imperative, 2nd person singular (hear!)

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् अधिपः)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a Śiva shrine near the Revā, a devotee reverently smears sacred ash over limbs while a sage narrates the promised fruit to a king.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtīśvara
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti-filled observance transforms a physical act into dharma, making it worthy of scriptural फल (spiritual fruit).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same sacred locale of Bhūtīśvara, where the rite is to be performed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Aṅga-guṇṭhana—covering/anointing the body, understood here in context as applying sacred ash at the tīrtha.