Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

ततो मेध्ये शिलापृष्ठे तां निवेश्य प्रयत्नतः । पूजयामास सद्भक्त्या धूपमाल्पानुलेपनैः

Transliteration

tato medhye śilāpṛṣṭhe tāṃ niveśya prayatnataḥ | pūjayāmāsa sadbhaktyā dhūpamālpānulepanaiḥ

Translation

Dann setzte er sie behutsam auf eine reine Steinfläche und verehrte sie in wahrer Hingabe, indem er Räucherwerk und schlichte duftende Salbungen darbrachte.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘ततः’ = तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम् (thereafter/from there)

• medhye: on the pure/holy (place)
• medhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: medhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (locative singular, qualifying place)

• śilā-pṛṣṭhe: on the surface of a stone slab
• śilā-pṛṣṭhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शिलायाः पृष्ठम्) — locative singular

• tām: her/that (goddess/image)
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (object pronoun)

• niveśya: having placed/installed
• niveśya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-viś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘निवेश्य’ = स्थापयित्वा/प्रवेशयित्वा (having placed/installed)

• prayatnataḥ: carefully/with effort
• prayatnataḥ: Kriya-vishesana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त) — ‘प्रयत्नतः’ = प्रयत्नेन/यत्नात् (with effort, carefully)

• pūjayāmāsa: worshipped
• pūjayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद, परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘पूजयामास’ = पूजयति स्म/अपूजयत् (he worshipped)

• sad-bhaktyā: with true devotion
• sad-bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सद्भक्तिः = उत्तमा भक्तिः) — instrumental singular

• dhūpam: incense
• dhūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; पूजोपकरणम् (incense as offering)

• alpānulepanaiḥ: with small/limited unguents/anointments
• alpānulepanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: alpa (प्रातिपदिक) + anulepana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (अल्पानि अनुलेपनानि) — instrumental plural

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in a māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king reverently places the goddess (icon/yantra/stone representation) upon a clean stone slab and performs worship with incense and modest unguents in a quiet tīrtha precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāratī (Sarasvatī)
• Śilā (stone base)
• Dhūpa (incense)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincerity matters more than lavish materials; simple offerings given with devotion bear great merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha setting by the river where Sarasvatī/Bhāratī is worshipped; the emphasis is on tīrtha-based devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Installing the image on a purified stone and offering dhūpa (incense) and anulepana (unguent/anointing).