Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

आब्रह्मस्तंबपर्यंतं पूजितं तेन वै जगत् । अतः सुश्वेतकुसुमैर्विष्णुं संपूजयेत्सदा

Transliteration

ābrahmastaṃbaparyaṃtaṃ pūjitaṃ tena vai jagat | ataḥ suśvetakusumairviṣṇuṃ saṃpūjayetsadā

Translation

Durch ihn wird wahrhaft die ganze Welt verehrt, von Brahmā bis hin zu einem Grashalm. Darum soll man Viṣṇu stets mit reinen weißen Blumen anbeten.

Word by Word

• आब्रह्मस्तम्बपर्यन्तम्: up to Brahmā and (down to) a blade of grass (i.e., entirely)
• आब्रह्मस्तम्बपर्यन्तम्: Adhikarana (Extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्यन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः, द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण — Avyayībhāva compound functioning adverbially (‘up to …’)

• पूजितम्: worshipped
• पूजितम्: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Past passive participle, Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; (विशेषणम्: जगत्)

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Agent/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental, Singular; सर्वनाम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (causal adverb: therefore)

• सुश्वेतकुसुमैः: with very white flowers
• सुश्वेतकुसुमैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + श्वेत (प्रातिपदिक) + कुसुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental, Plural; कर्मधारय-समास (सु-श्वेतानि कुसुमानि)

• विष्णुम्: Vishnu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• संपूजयेत्: should worship
• संपूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular

• सदा: always
• सदा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers a cascade of white flowers to Viṣṇu; the garland transforms into a cosmic panorama—Brahmā above, sages, devas, humans, animals, and finally blades of grass—showing the ‘whole world worshiped’.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Viṣṇu is portrayed as reverence to the entire cosmos; simple purity (like white flowers) becomes a universal act of worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Tīrthamāhātmya setting, the teaching supports pilgrimage-dharma broadly; this line itself does not specify a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular worship of Viṣṇu using suśveta-kusuma (pure white flowers).