Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

ग्रीवासूत्रकसिन्दूरैः पुष्पैर्धूपैस्तथार्चयेत् । तत्र सिद्धवटः पूज्यः शाखां चास्य विनिक्षिपेत्

Transliteration

grīvāsūtrakasindūraiḥ puṣpairdhūpaistathārcayet | tatra siddhavaṭaḥ pūjyaḥ śākhāṃ cāsya vinikṣipet

Translation

Dort soll man sie verehren mit Halsfäden (Amuletten), Sindūra (Zinnober), Blumen und Weihrauch. Ebenso ist dort der Siddhavaṭa, der „Banyan der Siddhas“, zu verehren, und man lege einen Zweig von ihm als rituelles Zeichen nieder.

Word by Word

• ग्रीवा-सूत्रक-सिन्दूरैः: with neck-ornaments, threads, and vermilion
• ग्रीवा-सूत्रक-सिन्दूरैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रीवा (प्रातिपदिक) + सूत्रक (प्रातिपदिक) + सिन्दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (ग्रीवा, सूत्रक, सिन्दूर), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समाहारार्थे बहुवचन-प्रयोग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पुष्पैः: with flowers
• पुष्पैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• धूपैः: with incense
• धूपैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Samuccaya/Prakara (Manner/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (thus/also)

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• सिद्धवटः: the sacred/efficacious banyan (Siddhavaṭa)
• सिद्धवटः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध + वट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (सिद्धः वटः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूज्यः: to be worshipped
• पूज्यः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) → पूज्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सिद्धवटः’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• शाखाम्: a branch
• शाखाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अस्य: of it/of him (of that tree)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विनिक्षिपेत्: should place/deposit
• विनिक्षिपेत्: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + नि + क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddhavaṭa (at Prabhāsa)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees adorn a goddess-image with sindūra and neck-threads, offer flowers and incense; beside it stands the grand Siddhavaṭa banyan, worshipped with lamps; a small branch is placed as a ritual token at its base.

Characters & Entities

• Siddhavaṭa
• Bhūtamātṛ (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography includes both deity and landscape—worship extends to the holy tree that participates in the tīrtha’s sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, specifically a locale featuring the sacred Siddhavaṭa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer neck-threads, sindūra, flowers, and incense; also worship Siddhavaṭa and place a branch as a ritual token.