Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

ततः संपूजयेत्सर्वान्पिंडान्यद्वद्द्विजोत्तमान् । आचम्य प्रक्षाल्य तथा हस्तौ पादौ च पार्थिव

Transliteration

tataḥ saṃpūjayetsarvānpiṃḍānyadvaddvijottamān | ācamya prakṣālya tathā hastau pādau ca pārthiva

Translation

Dann soll man alle Piṇḍas in rechter Weise verehren und ebenso die erhabensten Brāhmaṇas ehren. Nachdem man Ācamana (reinigendes Schlürfen von Wasser) vollzogen und sich gewaschen hat, soll man auch Hände und Füße waschen, o König.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (adverb: then/thereafter)

• saṃpūjayet: should worship
• saṃpūjayet: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; सं+पूजयति (णिच् causative); should worship/honour

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; piṇḍān इति विशेषणम्; Accusative plural masculine

• piṇḍān: piṇḍas
• piṇḍān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• yadvat: as (is proper)
• yadvat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक (comparative particle: as/just as)

• dvija-uttamān: excellent Brahmins
• dvija-uttamān: Upamāna/Comparison target
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारयार्थे: उत्तमाः द्विजाः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• ācamya: having sipped (ācamana)
• ācamya: Purvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-cam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; having sipped (water)

• prakṣālya: having washed
• prakṣālya: Purvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-kṣāl (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; having washed

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनुक्रमवाचक (adverb: likewise/also)

• hastau: (both) hands
• hastau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; Accusative dual

• pādau: (both) feet
• pādau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; Accusative dual

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• pārthiva: O king
• pārthiva: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचन; Vocative singular

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (instructional voice to a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva / Rājendra (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-ritualist completes piṇḍa offerings on darbha near a water-edge, then performs ācamana and washes hands and feet; brāhmaṇas sit nearby awaiting respectful honoring.

Characters & Entities

• piṇḍa
• dvijottama
• ācamana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Completion of śrāddha is marked by reverence and purification—honoring the offerings and the brāhmaṇas, then restoring ritual cleanliness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it concludes a procedural segment rather than describing a named pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Honor the piṇḍas and brāhmaṇas, perform ācamana, and wash—especially hands and feet.