Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

यश्चन्दनैः सागरुगन्धमाल्यै रभ्यर्चयेच्छैलमयीं ममार्चाम् । असौ न मामर्चयतेर्चयन्वै विप्रार्चनादर्चित एव चाहम्

Transliteration

yaścandanaiḥ sāgarugandhamālyai rabhyarcayecchailamayīṃ mamārcām | asau na māmarcayatercayanvai viprārcanādarcita eva cāham

Translation

ولو أن أحدًا بالغ في عبادة تمثالي الحجري بدهن الصندل والأكاليل العطرة، فليس بذلك يعبدني حقًّا؛ إذ إنني أُعبَد على الحقيقة حين تُعبَدُ البراهمة.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यः (relative pronoun)

• candanaiḥ: with sandal(-paste/wood)
• candanaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• sāgaru-gandha-mālyaiḥ: with garu-scented garlands
• sāgaru-gandha-mālyaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāgaru + gandha + mālya (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः: ‘सागरुगन्धयुक्तानि माल्यानि’

• abhi: towards, upon
• abhi: Upasarga (उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: abhi (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय (preverb)

• arcayet: should worship
• arcayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• śaila-mayīm: made of stone
• śaila-mayīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaila + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘शैलमयी’ = शैलस्य विकारः/निर्मिता

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• arcām: image (idol)
• arcām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arcā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• asau: that person
• asau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ (demonstrative)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• arcayate: worships
• arcayate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• arcayan: while worshipping
• arcayan: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावे ‘worshipping’

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

• vipra-arcanāt: from worship of a Brahmin
• vipra-arcanāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘विप्रस्य अर्चनम्’

• arcitaḥ: worshipped/honoured
• arcitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• eva: only, indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (restrictive particle)

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

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers sandalpaste and fragrant garlands to a stone icon; the Lord’s voice (or a divine sign) indicates that true worship is achieved when Brāhmaṇas are honored—show Brāhmaṇas receiving respectful offerings in parallel.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied)
• Brāhmaṇas
• stone image (śailamayī arcā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual beauty is incomplete without dharmic reverence; honoring worthy Brāhmaṇas is presented as the most direct worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where the māhātmya stresses living dharma over purely external offerings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Viprārcana—worship/honoring of Brāhmaṇas—is indicated as the decisive act that constitutes true worship of Śiva.