Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

नैवेद्यफलतांबूलग्रीवासूत्रकदीपकैः । संपूज्य परया भक्त्या यात्रां च सफला लभेत्

Transliteration

naivedyaphalatāṃbūlagrīvāsūtrakadīpakaiḥ | saṃpūjya parayā bhaktyā yātrāṃ ca saphalā labhet

Translation

Wer in vollkommener Verehrung Naivedya (geweihte Speise), Früchte, Betel, Halsketten/Blumengirlanden, die heilige Schnur und Lampen darbringt und dies mit höchster Bhakti tut, erlangt eine wahrhaft fruchtbare Pilgerfahrt.

Word by Word

• नैवेद्यफलताम्बूलग्रीवासूत्रकदीपकैः: with offerings, fruits, betel, garlands/neck-ornaments, strings, and lamps
• नैवेद्यफलताम्बूलग्रीवासूत्रकदीपकैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैवेद्य (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + ताम्बूल (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्रीवा (प्रातिपदिक) + सूत्रक (प्रातिपदिक) + दीपक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (द्वन्द्व/समाहार-द्वन्द्व): नैवेद्य-फल-ताम्बूल-ग्रीवा-सूत्रक-दीपक; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• संपूज्य: having worshipped
• संपूज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + सम्- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• परया: supreme/utter
• परया: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying भक्त्या)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• यात्राम्: the pilgrimage/journey
• यात्राम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• सफला: fruitful/successful
• सफला: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सफल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying यात्राम्)

• लभेत्: should obtain
• लभेत्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual Purāṇic narrator; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāvitrī-āyatana (Dvārakā)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sanctum glows with rows of lamps as devotees present naivedya, fruits, betel, garlands/necklaces and sacred threads; the atmosphere signals that the pilgrimage has become ‘fruitful’.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (implied recipient of worship)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A yātrā bears full fruit when devotion is expressed through proper offerings and attentive worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, where prescribed worship makes the pilgrimage ‘saphalā’ (fulfilled).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering naivedya, fruits, betel, neck-ornaments/threads, and lamps as upacāras in pūjā.