Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

देवालयाग्रभूमौ तं स्थापयासुरादृताः । भस्मी बभूव सहसा गोवत्साग्रे निरूपितः

Transliteration

devālayāgrabhūmau taṃ sthāpayāsurādṛtāḥ | bhasmī babhūva sahasā govatsāgre nirūpitaḥ

Translation

انہوں نے ادب کے ساتھ اسے مندر کے سامنے کی زمین پر کھڑا کیا؛ فوراً وہ راکھ ہو گیا، گویا گائے کے بچھڑے کے سامنے رکھا گیا ہو۔

Word by Word

• देवालयाग्रभूमौ: on the forecourt of the temple
• देवालयाग्रभूमौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवालय (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक) + भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समास (place)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्थापयासुः: placed / caused to be set
• स्थापयासुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + causative (णिच्)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• आदृताः: respectful / with reverence
• आदृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आदृत (कृदन्त; √दृ (धातु) + आ-उपसर्ग + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of implied agents)

• भस्मी: ash (into ash)
• भस्मी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग (भस्मीभू = become ash)

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सहसा: suddenly
• सहसा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/रीति-अव्यय (adverb: suddenly)

• गोवत्साग्रे: in front of the calf
• गोवत्साग्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोवत्स (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• निरूपितः: having been placed/positioned
• निरूपितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √रूप्/√रुप् (धातु) + निर्-उपसर्ग + क्त
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (past passive participle)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; purāṇic narrator within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the temple forecourt, elders place the offender down reverently; a sudden flash of divine heat reduces him to ash, the courtyard momentarily illuminated, onlookers stunned.

Characters & Entities

• Devālaya (temple)
• Śiva (implied)
• Bhasma (ashes)
• Go-vatsa (calf)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In a sacred kṣetra, intense divine presence can instantly consume grave adharma, revealing the purifying and judging power of the site.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The temple-front (devālayāgra-bhūmi) of the Dharmāraṇya liṅga—presented as a place of immediate spiritual consequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; the narrative act of placing the karmically impure person before the deity functions as the decisive ‘procedure’.