Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

श्रीपञ्चम्यां नरो यस्तु पूजयेत्तां विधानतः । गन्धपुष्पादिभिर्भक्त्या तस्यालक्ष्मीभयं कुतः

Transliteration

śrīpañcamyāṃ naro yastu pūjayettāṃ vidhānataḥ | gandhapuṣpādibhirbhaktyā tasyālakṣmībhayaṃ kutaḥ

Translation

Am Tage Śrīpañcamī: Wer Sie nach rechter Vorschrift mit Bhakti verehrt, mit Duftstoffen, Blumen und dergleichen—wie könnte bei ihm noch Furcht vor Alakṣmī, dem Unheil, verbleiben?

Word by Word

• श्रीपञ्चम्याम्: on (the day of) Śrīpañcamī
• श्रीपञ्चम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्चमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular); तत्पुरुष-समास (श्रियाः पञ्चमी/श्रीसम्बन्धिनी पञ्चमी)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/contrast particle)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• विधानतः: according to the prescribed rule
• विधानतः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb)

• गन्धपुष्पादिभिः: with perfumes, flowers, etc.
• गन्धपुष्पादिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural); समाहार/तत्पुरुष (गन्धपुष्पादयः)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular)

• अलक्ष्मीभयम्: fear of misfortune
• अलक्ष्मीभयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अलक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अलक्ष्म्याः भयम्)

• कुतः: whence/how (could it be)?
• कुतः: Sambandha (Question/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb: from where/how)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahodaya (Mahālakṣmī pīṭha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General devotee audience; instruction framed as universal (naro yaḥ tu)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śrīpañcamī pūjā scene: devotees bathed and dressed in clean garments offer gandha, puṣpa, dhūpa, dīpa to Mahālakṣmī; a personified Alakṣmī retreats beyond the threshold; the shrine glows with orderly abundance.

Characters & Entities

• Śrīpañcamī
• Mahālakṣmī
• Alakṣmī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely, rule-guided worship joined with devotion is said to convert spiritual merit into tangible well-being and freedom from misfortune.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly the Mahodaya pīṭha of Mahālakṣmī in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship the Goddess on Śrīpañcamī with prescribed procedure, offering fragrances, flowers, and related items with devotion.