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

وِرِندا کے اعضا کی جلی ہوئی گرد سے انہوں نے ایک گول بَنب (کرہ) بنا دیا۔ اور راکھ کا جو باقی حصہ تھا، اسے منداکنی میں بکھیر دیا۔

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.