Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

ततः संपूजयद्विप्रं गन्धपुष्पानुलेपनैः । दत्त्वा तु भोजनं तस्मै दक्षिणां च स्वशक्तितः । प्राशनं कायशुद्ध्यर्थं पञ्चगव्यस्य चाचरेत्

Transliteration

tataḥ saṃpūjayadvipraṃ gandhapuṣpānulepanaiḥ | dattvā tu bhojanaṃ tasmai dakṣiṇāṃ ca svaśaktitaḥ | prāśanaṃ kāyaśuddhyarthaṃ pañcagavyasya cācaret

Translation

Daraufhin soll man einen Brāhmaṇa gebührend mit Düften, Blumen und Salbungen ehren. Nachdem man ihm Speise gegeben und nach eigener Kraft Dakṣiṇā dargebracht hat, nehme man auch Pañcagavya zur Reinigung des Leibes zu sich.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रमसूचक (thereafter)

• संपूजयेत्: should worship/honor
• संपूजयेत्: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; पाठानुसार ‘संपूजयद्’ इति सन्ध्यन्तर/पाठभेदः, अर्थतः ‘संपूजयेत्’

• विप्रम्: a brahmin
• विप्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गन्धपुष्पानुलेपनैः: with scents, flowers, and unguents
• गन्धपुष्पानुलेपनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुलेपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; ‘with perfumes, flowers, and unguents’

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having given’

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अनुवादक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• भोजनम्: food/meal
• भोजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• दक्षिणाम्: fee/gift (dakṣiṇā)
• दक्षिणाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• स्वशक्तितः: according to one’s capacity
• स्वशक्तितः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + तः (तसिल्)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; तसिलन्त-अव्यय (according to one’s ability)

• प्राशनम्: ingestion/eating
• प्राशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राशन (प्रातिपदिक; √अश् ‘to eat’ से)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कायशुद्ध्यर्थम्: for bodily purification
• कायशुद्ध्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: काय (प्रातिपदिक) + शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अर्थम् इति अन्ते नपुंसक-द्वितीया एकवचन, क्रियाविशेषणवत् (for the purpose of); ‘कायस्य शुद्ध्यर्थम्’

• पञ्चगव्यस्य: of pañcagavya
• पञ्चगव्यस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + गव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘of pañcagavya (five cow-products)’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• आचरेत्: should practice/perform
• आचरेत्: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Deductive (ritual instructor voice within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; likely Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim respectfully anoints and garlands a seated brāhmaṇa, offers a meal on banana leaves, places coins/cloth as dakṣiṇā, then receives a small pañcagavya portion for purification.

Characters & Entities

• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Dakṣiṇā
• Pañcagavya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship is completed by dharma in action—honoring the learned, feeding others, giving within one’s means, and cultivating purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse gives vrata-concluding duties in a tīrtha setting; the precise site is not specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Honor a brāhmaṇa with gandha-puṣpa-anulepana, provide bhojana and dakṣiṇā, and perform pañcagavya prāśana for purification.