Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 139

Devanagari script

शिरः सौभाग्यदायिन्यै पश्चादर्घ्यं प्रदापयेत्

Transliteration

śiraḥ saubhāgyadāyinyai paścādarghyaṃ pradāpayet

Translation

Am Haupt, (sie verehrend) als «Spenderin des Glücks», soll man danach Arghya darbringen.

Word by Word

• शिरः: the head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• सौभाग्यदायिन्यै: to the giver of good fortune
• सौभाग्यदायिन्यै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौभाग्य + दायिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine, dative singular); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ('giver of good fortune')

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (adverb of sequence)

• अर्घ्यम्: arghya-offering (water of respect)
• अर्घ्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• प्रदापयेत्: should offer/give
• प्रदापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दा (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (should cause to be given/should offer)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devotee, having completed Umā’s aṅga-pūjā, lifts a small vessel and offers arghya with both hands, focusing on the Devī’s head as Saubhāgyadāyinī.

Characters & Entities

• Saubhāgyadāyinī
• arghya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspiciousness (saubhāgya) is sought through reverent, ordered worship culminating in respectful offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) region provides the broader sacred setting; the verse focuses on the ritual step of arghya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer arghya after worshipping the deity as the bestower of good fortune.