Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

धूपं नखसमुद्भूतं प्राशनं क्षीरमेव च । आश्विने कमलैः पूजा नैवेद्ये घृतपूरिका

Transliteration

dhūpaṃ nakhasamudbhūtaṃ prāśanaṃ kṣīrameva ca | āśvine kamalaiḥ pūjā naivedye ghṛtapūrikā

Translation

ধূপ হিচাপে ‘নখা’ৰ পৰা উদ্ভূত সুগন্ধ অৰ্ঘ্য দিয়া, আৰু প্ৰাশন ৰূপে কেৱল ক্ষীৰ গ্ৰহণ কৰা। আশ্বিন মাহত কমলফুলেৰে পূজা কৰিবা, আৰু নৈবেদ্যত ঘৃতপূৰিকা অৰ্পণ কৰিবা।

Word by Word

• धूपम्: incense
• धूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• नख-समुद्भूतम्: arisen from nails
• नख-समुद्भूतम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नख (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भूत (कृदन्त; सम्+उद्+√भू धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विशेषण (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; past participle used adjectivally)

• प्राशनम्: ingestion; something to be eaten
• प्राशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• क्षीरम्: milk
• क्षीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• आश्विने: in the month of Āśvina
• आश्विने: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्विन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative Singular; ‘in Āśvina month’)

• कमलैः: with lotuses
• कमलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Instrumental Plural)

• पूजा: worship
• पूजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nom., Singular)

• नैवेद्ये: in/for the food-offering
• नैवेद्ये: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैवेद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative Singular; ‘as offering/for naivedya’)

• घृत-पूरिका: ghee-filled cake (pūrīka)
• घृत-पूरिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक) + पूरिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nom., Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from didactic sequence)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal devotee’s Sūrya-pūjā in Āśvina: lotus-filled vessels, a small altar with a radiant solar emblem, incense smoke curling, milk offered for prāśana, and ghṛtapūrikā placed as naivedya.

Characters & Entities

• Āśvina
• Kamala (lotus)
• Kṣīra
• Ghṛtapūrikā
• Dhūpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa teaches ordered devotion: each month’s worship is beautified by specific flowers, offerings, and purificatory intake.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse continues the month-by-month observance within a Tīrtha-māhātmya chapter and does not specify a named tīrtha here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use the specified nakha-derived incense, take milk as prāśana; in Āśvina worship with lotuses and offer ghṛtapūrikā as naivedya.