Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

देवं संपूजयेत्सूक्ष्मं ज्येष्ठाशक्तिसमन्वितम् । शतपत्रैः पूजयित्वा मधु प्राश्य यथाविधि

Transliteration

devaṃ saṃpūjayetsūkṣmaṃ jyeṣṭhāśaktisamanvitam | śatapatraiḥ pūjayitvā madhu prāśya yathāvidhi

Translation

ينبغي أن يُعبَدَ الإلهُ اللطيفُ عبادةً تامّة، وهو المقرونُ بـ«جْييشْثا-شَكْتي» (Jyeṣṭhā-Śakti). وبعد أن يُكرَّمَ بزهورٍ ذاتِ مئةِ بتلة، يُتناوَلُ العسلُ على وفقِ القاعدةِ الطقسية.

Word by Word

• देवम्: the deity
• देवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• संपूजयेत्: should worship
• संपूजयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: पूज् (to worship) उपसर्ग: सम्

• सूक्ष्मम्: subtle
• सूक्ष्मम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (देवम्)

• ज्येष्ठाशक्तिसमन्वितम्: endowed with Jyeṣṭhā-śakti
• ज्येष्ठाशक्तिसमन्वितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्येष्ठा-शक्ति-समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक; ज्येष्ठा + शक्ति + समन्वित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (देवम्); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ज्येष्ठायाः शक्तेः समन्वितः)

• शतपत्रैः: with śatapatra flowers/leaves
• शतपत्रैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत-पत्र (प्रातिपदिक; शत + पत्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण; द्विगु-समास (hundred-petalled/with many petals)

• पूजयित्वा: having worshipped
• पूजयित्वा: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); धातु: पूज्; अर्थे: having worshipped

• मधु: honey
• मधु: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• प्राश्य: having consumed
• प्राश्य: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); धातु: आश् (to eat) उपसर्ग: प्र; अर्थे: having eaten/tasted

• यथाविधि: according to the prescribed method
• यथाविधि: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा-विधि (अव्यय; यथा + विधि)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (according to rule)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha region)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vrata-observer at Prabhāsa performs refined worship to a subtle Śiva-form with Jyeṣṭhā-Śakti, offering a hundred-petalled lotus; afterward honey is taken as sanctified prāśana.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (subtle deity; context Somnātha)
• Jyeṣṭhā-Śakti
• madhu (honey)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The subtle Lord is approached through precise worship, honoring Śakti, and sanctified consumption done by scriptural rule.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somnātha worship at Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship the deity with hundred-petalled flowers; then take honey (madhu) in the prescribed manner.