Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 151

Devanagari script

सुवर्णपीठिकां कृत्वा नवरत्नसुशोभिताम् । उपचारैरनेकैश्च पूजयामास वै तदा

Transliteration

suvarṇapīṭhikāṃ kṛtvā navaratnasuśobhitām | upacārairanekaiśca pūjayāmāsa vai tadā

Translation

وصنع قاعدةً من ذهب مزدانةً بتسع جواهر، ثم شرع يعبد (اللِنغا) آنذاك بقرابين كثيرة وخدماتٍ طقسية متعددة.

Word by Word

• suvarṇa-pīṭhikām: a golden pedestal/seat
• suvarṇa-pīṭhikām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suvarṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pīṭhikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सुवर्णस्य पीठिका)

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having done/made’

• nava-ratna-su-śobhitām: beautifully adorned with nine gems
• nava-ratna-su-śobhitām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nava (प्रातिपदिक) + ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + su- (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + śobhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √śubh/śobh)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पीठिकाम्) ; तत्पुरुष-समासः (नवरत्नैः सुशोभिता)

• upacāraiḥ: with offerings/services
• upacāraiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upacāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• anekaiḥ: many
• anekaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (उपचारैः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• pūjayāmāsa: worshipped
• pūjayāmāsa: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिप्रास/परफेक्ट-प्रयोग), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘he worshipped’

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (typical frame; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a stone Himalayan shrine, a devotee fashions a golden pedestal studded with nine gems and arranges many offerings before the Śiva-liṅga; lamps flicker, incense curls, and attendants hold vessels for abhiṣeka.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva-liṅga
• Nandī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expresses itself through honoring the deity with beauty, care, and sustained worshipful service.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra-kṣetra’s Śaiva tradition, where liṅga worship and proper upacāras are praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Preparing a pīṭhikā (pedestal) and performing pūjā with multiple upacāras (services such as offerings, lamps, incense, etc.).