Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पूजयेत्तं विधानेन गन्धपुष्पादिभिः क्रमात् । भोजयेद्ब्राह्मणाञ्छक्त्या भक्ष्यभोज्यैरनेकशः

Transliteration

pūjayettaṃ vidhānena gandhapuṣpādibhiḥ kramāt | bhojayedbrāhmaṇāñchaktyā bhakṣyabhojyairanekaśaḥ

Translation

Man soll Ihn nach der rechten Vorschrift verehren, der Reihe nach mit Düften, Blumen und dergleichen; und nach eigener Kraft die Brāhmaṇas mit vielerlei Speisen bewirten — mit Imbissen wie auch mit vollwertigen Mahlzeiten.

Word by Word

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• tam: him/that (one)
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• vidhānena: by the prescribed procedure
• vidhānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (instrumental), एकवचनम् (singular)

• gandha-puṣpa-ādibhiḥ: with fragrances, flowers, etc.
• gandha-puṣpa-ādibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (instrumental), बहुवचनम् (plural); समासः: गन्धश्च पुष्पं च (items like fragrance and flowers) + आदि (etc.)

• kramāt: in due order, successively
• kramāt: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb); तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb)

• bhojayet: should feed
• bhojayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु) [causative/णिच्: भोजयति]
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular); णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative)

• brāhmaṇān: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• śaktyā: according to one's capacity
• śaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (feminine), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (instrumental), एकवचनम् (singular)

• bhakṣya-bhojyaiḥ: with eatables and foods
• bhakṣya-bhojyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakṣya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √bhakṣ) + bhojya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √bhuj)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (instrumental), बहुवचनम् (plural); द्वन्द्वः (copulative): भक्ष्यं च भोज्यं च

• anekaśaḥ: in many ways / repeatedly
• anekaśaḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb); शस्-प्रत्ययान्त (distributive adverb)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣetrapāleśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Temple courtyard pūjā: devotee offers sandal paste and flowers to a liṅga; priests arrange offerings; a line of brāhmaṇas seated for bhojana with leaf-plates; abundant yet orderly food display.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣetrapeśvara (context)
• Brāhmaṇas
• Pūjā (worship)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed by dharmic action: worship with devotion and charity through feeding worthy recipients.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kṣetrapeśvara/Kṣetrapāla shrine within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform pūjā with gandha and flowers in proper order, and feed brāhmaṇas according to one’s means with varied foods.