Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

या रात्रौ बलिदानेन जाते वृद्धौ ततः परम् । तत्सर्वं जायतां पुण्यं यस्ते मूर्तिं प्रपूजयेत्

Transliteration

yā rātrau balidānena jāte vṛddhau tataḥ param | tatsarvaṃ jāyatāṃ puṇyaṃ yaste mūrtiṃ prapūjayet

Translation

Welche Mehrung der Frucht auch immer danach aus der nächtlichen Bali-Darbringung entsteht—möge all dies Verdienst werden für den, der dein heiliges Bildnis ordnungsgemäß verehrt.

Word by Word

• yā: she who / which (fem.)
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• balidānena: by offering (a bali)
• balidānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bali-dāna (प्रातिपदिक; bali + dāna)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (baleḥ dānam)

• jāte: when (it) has occurred / having happened
• jāte: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jan (धातु) + jāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; 'सति-सप्तमी' प्रयोग (when it has occurred)

• vṛddhau: in the increase/growth
• vṛddhau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; 'सति-सप्तमी' सह

• tataḥ: thereafter / from that
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोग (ablatival adverb)

• param: further / beyond
• param: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative)

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; 'tat' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• jāyatām: let (them/these) be born / arise
• jāyatām: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• puṇyam: merit / auspicious result
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

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

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वलिङ्ग-प्रयोग (2nd person pronoun)

• mūrtim: form / image (idol)
• mūrtim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• prapūjayet: should worship
• prapūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु) + pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śākambharī (continuing her speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A night-time riverbank shrine: lamps flicker, offerings are placed, and a devotee performs reverent worship before a consecrated Devi image; the sense is of merit ‘growing’ through the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Śākambharī
• Devī (addressed)
• Bali (offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual acts performed with devotion are transmuted into puṇya when anchored in reverent worship of the Divine form.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement belongs to the Śākambharī-Durgā riverside context (Sarasvatī-taṭa), implying the shrine where the mūrti is worshipped.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nighttime bali-dāna (ritual offering) and prapūjā (proper worship) of the Devī’s mūrti are referenced.