Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

तुलसीसेचनं दुग्धै श्चातुर्मास्येऽतिदुर्लभम् । तुलसीं वर्द्धयेद्यस्तु मानवो यदि श्रद्धया

Transliteration

tulasīsecanaṃ dugdhai ścāturmāsye'tidurlabham | tulasīṃ varddhayedyastu mānavo yadi śraddhayā

Translation

In der heiligen Zeit des Cāturmāsya ist es überaus selten (und daher höchst verdienstvoll), Tulasī mit Milch zu begießen. Wer mit Glauben die Tulasī-Pflanze pflegt und ihr Wachstum mehrt—erlangt eine besondere geistige Frucht.

Word by Word

• तुलसी-सेचनम्: watering of tulasī
• तुलसी-सेचनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी (प्रातिपदिक) + सेचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तुलस्याः सेचनम्) = watering of tulasī; कर्ता/विषय

• दुग्धैः: with milk
• दुग्धैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुग्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; करण (with milk)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• अति-दुर्लभम्: very rare
• अति-दुर्लभम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय-उपसर्गवत्) + दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अत्यन्तं दुर्लभम्) = very rare; ‘तुलसीसेचनम्’ विशेषण

• तुलसीम्: Tulasī
• तुलसीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• वर्द्धयेत्: should make grow/increase
• वर्द्धयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृध् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense not marked; ‘cause to grow/increase’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

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

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता (यः मानवः)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तबोधक-अव्यय (conditional)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; करण/हेतु (with faith)

Speaker

Deductive: Narrator within Brahma–Nārada-saṃvāda (Brahmā speaking to Nārada) in the Paijavana-upākhyāna context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāturmāsya Tulasī-sevā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In monsoon-season Cāturmāsya, a devotee gently pours a small stream of milk (or milk-mixed water) at the base of a thriving Tulasī plant, with lamps and incense nearby, emphasizing rarity and devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Tulasī
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful service to Tulasī—especially in Cāturmāsya—is presented as a rare, high-merit devotional act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, though this verse focuses on the Tulasī vow rather than a single bathing-place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Watering (secanam) Tulasī with milk during the Cāturmāsya period, performed with śraddhā.