Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा च विधिवत्पूर्वं ब्रह्मकुंडे नरोत्तम । पूजयेत्पुष्पधूपाद्यैर्ब्रह्माणं बालरूपिणम्

Transliteration

snātvā ca vidhivatpūrvaṃ brahmakuṃḍe narottama | pūjayetpuṣpadhūpādyairbrahmāṇaṃ bālarūpiṇam

Translation

প্ৰথমে বিধিমতে ব্ৰহ্মকুণ্ডত স্নান কৰি, হে নৰোত্তম, পুষ্প, ধূপ আদি উপচাৰে বালৰূপী ব্ৰহ্মাদেৱক পূজা কৰিব লাগে।

Word by Word

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (स्ना) → snātvā
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund: “having bathed”)

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

• vidhivat: according to the prescribed rite
• vidhivat: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध-रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhi-vat (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: “according to rule”)

• pūrvam: first
• pūrvam: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: “first/beforehand”)

• brahmakuṇḍe: in the Brahma-pool
• brahmakuṇḍe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-kuṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ब्रह्मणः कुण्डः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• narottama: O best of men
• narottama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara-uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (उत्तमो नरः), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (पूज्) → pūjayet
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• puṣpa: flowers
• puṣpa: Karana (Instrumental set/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• dhūpa: incense
• dhūpa: Karana (Instrumental set/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• ādyaiḥ: and the like
• ādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; ‘puṣpadhūpa’ इत्यादि-समुदायवाचक (etc.)

• puṣpadhūpādyaiḥ: with flowers, incense, etc.
• puṣpadhūpādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa-dhūpa-ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (पुष्पं च धूपश्च), ततः ‘आदि’ योगेन समाहार; तृतीया, बहुवचन

• brahmāṇam: Brahmā
• brahmāṇam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (ब्रह्मा), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• bālarūpiṇam: in child-form
• bālarūpiṇam: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāla-rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (बालस्य रूपं यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘brahmāṇam’ इति विशेष्येण सह

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmakuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed to ‘naroत्तम’ (best of men) as instruction to pilgrim

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim, freshly bathed, stands at Brahmakuṇḍa’s steps offering flowers and incense to a small child-form Brahmā idol/shrine; water glints, priests hold lamps, conch and bell nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmakuṇḍa
• Brahmā
• Bālarūpa
• Snāna
• Pūjā
• Puṣpa
• Dhūpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed by disciplined practice—purifying bath followed by reverent worship—uniting outer tīrtha with inner devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Brahmakuṇḍa in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform vidhivat snāna in Brahmakuṇḍa first, then worship child-form Brahmā with offerings such as flowers and incense (puṣpa, dhūpa, etc.).