Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

युग्मम् । रुद्राक्षैः कृतकेयूरकर्णाभरणभूषणः । मर्कटः शिक्षया तस्याः सदा नृत्यति बालवत्

Transliteration

yugmam | rudrākṣaiḥ kṛtakeyūrakarṇābharaṇabhūṣaṇaḥ | markaṭaḥ śikṣayā tasyāḥ sadā nṛtyati bālavat

Translation

那猴子佩戴以鲁陀罗叉（rudrākṣa）珠制成的臂钏与耳饰，在她的教导下，常常如孩童般起舞。

Word by Word

• yugmam: a pair; a couple
• yugmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yugma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• rudrākṣaiḥ: with rudrākṣa beads
• rudrākṣaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudrākṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case, instrumental), बहुवचन (plural)

• kṛta-keyūra-karṇa-ābharaṇa-bhūṣaṇaḥ: adorned with made armlets and ear-ornaments (as decorations)
• kṛta-keyūra-karṇa-ābharaṇa-bhūṣaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृ धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त) + keyūra (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ābharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृतानि keyūrāṇi karṇābharaṇāni bhūṣaṇāni यस्य/येन)

• markaṭaḥ: the monkey
• markaṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: markaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• śikṣayā: by the instruction/training
• śikṣayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case, instrumental), एकवचन

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case, genitive), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• nṛtyati: dances
• nṛtyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nṛt (नृत् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• bālavat: like a child
• bālavat: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bāla + vat (वत्-प्रत्यय; तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक (similative adverb: ‘like/as’)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, unspecified in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A monkey adorned with rudrākṣa-made armlets and ear-ornaments dances with childlike abandon, as if trained for entertainment in a household courtyard.

Characters & Entities

• rudrākṣa
• markaṭa (monkey)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in worldly settings, Śaiva markers like rudrākṣa appear as signs of devotion, reminding the listener how sacred symbols permeate daily life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as scene-setting within a broader dharmic narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; rudrākṣa adornment is depicted as a devotional emblem rather than a stated rite.