Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

तस्माद्देवं महाकालं पूजयामोऽधुना वयम् । पद्मैरेतैः परं श्रेय आवयोर्येन जायते

Transliteration

tasmāddevaṃ mahākālaṃ pūjayāmo'dhunā vayam | padmairetaiḥ paraṃ śreya āvayoryena jāyate

Translation

Darum lasst uns jetzt den Gott Mahākāla verehren. Durch das Darbringen dieser Lotosblumen wird für uns beide das höchste Heil und segensreiches Glück entstehen.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-शब्दः, हेत्वर्थे अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः (ablative used adverbially: ‘therefore/from that’)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• महाकालम्: Mahākāla
• महाकालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महान् कालः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘देवम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण/अप्पosition

• पूजयामः: we worship
• पूजयामः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (indeclinable adverb: ‘now’)

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• पद्मैः: with lotuses
• पद्मैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• एतैः: with these
• एतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘पद्मैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘श्रेयः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• श्रेयः: highest good, welfare
• श्रेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• आवयोः: of us two
• आवयोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), द्विवचन

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; साधनार्थे

• जायते: arises, is produced
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (contextually a principal narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue; next verse marks “rājovāca”)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two pilgrims confer and decide to worship Mahākāla, holding fresh lotuses gathered from the lake, approaching the sanctum with reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed through simple, pure offerings (like lotuses) to Mahākāla becomes a direct cause of śreyas—true welfare and spiritual upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse centers on Mahākāla worship within a Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the exact named tīrtha is not stated in this single shloka, but the focus is the sanctifying presence of Mahākāla at the sacred locale of the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā of Mahākāla using lotus-flowers (padma-arpana) is explicitly prescribed as a means to attain supreme welfare.