Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

भकारः पंचवर्णस्तु जलबीजः सनातनः । मरीचिना समायुक्तः पूजितः सर्वभोगदः

Transliteration

bhakāraḥ paṃcavarṇastu jalabījaḥ sanātanaḥ | marīcinā samāyuktaḥ pūjitaḥ sarvabhogadaḥ

Translation

Die Silbe „bha“, von fünffacher Färbung, ist der ewige Same des Wasserprinzips. Mit dem Weisen Marīci vereint, schenkt sie, wenn verehrt, alle Genüsse und Gedeihen.

Word by Word

• भकारः: the syllable/letter 'bha'
• भकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पञ्चवर्णः: having five colors/classes
• पञ्चवर्णः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासान्त विशेषणम्

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• जलबीजः: water-seed
• जलबीजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय

• सनातनः: eternal
• सनातनः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• मरीचिना: with Marīci
• मरीचिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरीचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सहकारक/सहयोग (with/by)

• समायुक्तः: joined/associated
• समायुक्तः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + √युज् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• पूजितः: worshipped/honored
• पूजितः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √पूज् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• सर्वभोगदः: giver of all enjoyments
• सर्वभोगदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भोग (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक; √दा)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a lotus-filled waterbody, a devotee worships a kalasha; the ‘bha’ bīja appears as a five-colored radiance over rippling water, while symbols of ‘all enjoyments’ (food, garments, ornaments) appear as offerings returning as prasāda.

Characters & Entities

• Marīci

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rightly honored mantra-seeds are portrayed as channels of cosmic order, yielding lawful enjoyments when aligned with dharma and proper worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The excerpt is doctrinal/ritual (bīja mapping) within a tīrtha-glorification chapter; no single tīrtha-name appears in this verse alone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (pūjā) of the “bha” syllable as the water-seed, associated with Marīci, is said to grant all enjoyments (sarvabhoga).