Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

बर्बरीकशिरश्चैव गिरिशृंगमवाप्य तत् । देहस्य भूमिसंस्काराश्चाभवच्छिरसो नहि । ततो युद्धं महदभूत्कुरुपांडवसेनयोः

Transliteration

barbarīkaśiraścaiva giriśṛṃgamavāpya tat | dehasya bhūmisaṃskārāścābhavacchiraso nahi | tato yuddhaṃ mahadabhūtkurupāṃḍavasenayoḥ

Translation

Quả thật, đầu của Barbarīka đã đến được đỉnh núi ấy. Nghi lễ an táng bằng chôn cất được cử hành cho thân xác, nhưng không cử hành cho cái đầu. Rồi sau đó, một trận đại chiến bùng lên giữa quân Kurū và quân Pāṇḍava.

Word by Word

• barbarīka-śiraḥ: Barbarīka’s head
• barbarīka-śiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: barbarīka (प्रातिपदिक) + śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (Barbarīka’s head)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• giri-śṛṅgam: the mountain peak
• giri-śṛṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक) + śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (mountain-peak)

• avāpya: having reached/obtained
• avāpya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (अव√आप्, धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभाव

• tat: then/that
• tat: Sambandha (Deictic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); here adverbial ‘then/that’

• dehasya: of the body
• dehasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठीविभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhūmi-saṃskārāḥ: ground-rites/obsequial rites
• bhūmi-saṃskārāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃskāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (rites/obsequies in/for the ground)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• abhavat: occurred/were done
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू, धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• śirasaḥ: of the head
• śirasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठीविभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/कारणार्थक-अव्यय (indeed/for)

• tataḥ: thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (thereupon/from that)

• yuddham: battle
• yuddham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); here nominative as subject

• mahat: great
• mahat: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); agrees with yuddham

• abhūt: was/became
• abhūt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू, धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• kuru-pāṇḍava-senayoḥ: of the Kuru and Pāṇḍava armies
• kuru-pāṇḍava-senayoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇḍava (प्रातिपदिक) + senā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine) ‘senā’, सप्तमी/षष्ठी?—द्विवचन (Dual) षष्ठीविभक्ति (Genitive/6th) here: ‘of the two armies’; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (Kuru-and-Pāṇḍava armies)

Speaker

Narrator (deduced: Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta tradition in Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Barbarīka-śiras-śṛṅga (peak of the head)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark mountain summit with Barbarīka’s head placed or arriving miraculously; below, funeral rites for the body; in the distance, armies assembling for a vast war.

Characters & Entities

• Barbarīka
• Kurūḥ (Kauravas)
• Pāṇḍavāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even extraordinary warriors and events remain subject to dharma and destiny; the narrative frames war and death within cosmic order rather than mere human pride.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No distinct tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse; the setting is the Kurukṣetra war context within a Purāṇic narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It mentions bhūmi-saṃskāra—funerary/burial rites performed for the body (but not for the head).