Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

गृह्णाति पुष्पमालां यः पठेच्छक्त्या द्विजोत्तमाः । वेदांतकृत्स विप्रः स्यात्सदा जन्मनिजन्मनि

Transliteration

gṛhṇāti puṣpamālāṃ yaḥ paṭhecchaktyā dvijottamāḥ | vedāṃtakṛtsa vipraḥ syātsadā janmanijanmani

Translation

O ihr Besten der Zweimalgeborenen: Wer die Blumengirlande ergreift und diese Lobpreisungen mit ganzer Kraft und Hingabe rezitiert, wird Geburt um Geburt ein im Vedānta vollendeter Brāhmaṇa.

Word by Word

• गृह्णाति: takes, receives
• गृह्णाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुष्पमालाम्: a garland of flowers
• पुष्पमालाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्पमाला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—पुष्प + माला (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘flowers’ garland’)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (Singular)

• पठेत्: should recite/read
• पठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/Potential), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• शक्त्या: with ability, as per one’s capacity
• शक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन (Singular)

• द्विजोत्तमः: the best of the twice-born (a foremost Brahmin)
• द्विजोत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—द्विजस्य उत्तमः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• वेदान्तकृत्: one who has mastered/fulfilled Vedānta
• वेदान्तकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदान्त + कृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—वेदान्तं करोति (उपपद-तत्पुरुषः)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विप्रः: a Brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्यात्: would be, should become
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of time)

• जन्मनि: in (each) birth
• जन्मनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन (Singular)

• जन्मनि: in birth (again)
• जन्मनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); पुनरुक्ति—‘birth after birth’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (chapter context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembly of sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted pilgrim-brāhmaṇa stands before a shrine in a tīrtha-kṣetra, lifting a fresh flower garland and reciting a māhātmya-stuti; sages and pilgrims listen; the deity’s presence is suggested by aura and lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Vedānta
• Gaṇapati (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere recitation and offering, even simple, yields lasting spiritual refinement and higher learning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṇapati established in the auspicious kṣetra of the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Taking/holding an offering of a flower garland and reciting with devotion and capacity.