Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

यो यं काममभिध्याय तं पूजयति मानवः । स तं कृत्स्नमवाप्नोति यद्यपि स्यात्सुदुर्लभम्

Transliteration

yo yaṃ kāmamabhidhyāya taṃ pūjayati mānavaḥ | sa taṃ kṛtsnamavāpnoti yadyapi syātsudurlabham

Translation

Welchen Wunsch auch immer ein Mensch im Herzen erwägt und Ihn (dort) verehrt, den erlangt er vollständig, selbst wenn er äußerst schwer zu erreichen wäre.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• यम्: which/that (whom/what)
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कामम्: desire/wish
• कामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अभिध्याय: having contemplated
• अभिध्याय: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having meditated upon)

• तम्: him/that (deity)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पूजयति: worships
• पूजयति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तम्: that (desire)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कृत्स्नम्: entire/complete
• कृत्स्नम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with कामम् understood)

• अवाप्नोति: obtains
• अवाप्नोति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-निपात (conditional particle)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); अप्यर्थे (even)

• स्यात्: may be/should be
• स्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सुदुर्लभम्: very difficult to obtain
• सुदुर्लभम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (carried forward from 'Sūta uvāca' in the passage context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣpāditya (shrine/deity)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands before Puṣpāditya, eyes closed in contemplation of a wish, then offers flowers and lamp; behind, symbolic imagery shows the wish materializing despite obstacles.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣpāditya (implicit 'tam')
• kāma (desired aim)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Focused intention joined with devotional worship in a sanctified setting is presented as a powerful, dharma-aligned means to attain even rare goals.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha where Puṣpāditya is worshipped in Adhyāya 155; the exact place-name is not specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditate upon the desired aim and worship the deity (Puṣpāditya) accordingly.