Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तत्र त्वां नरशार्दूला हृष्टाः पुष्टाः स्वलंकृताः । पुष्पदीपप्रदानेन अर्चयिष्यंति यत्नतः

Transliteration

tatra tvāṃ naraśārdūlā hṛṣṭāḥ puṣṭāḥ svalaṃkṛtāḥ | puṣpadīpapradānena arcayiṣyaṃti yatnataḥ

Translation

Dort, o Tiger unter den Menschen, werden die Leute—voll Freude, wohlgenährt und festlich geschmückt—dich mit Sorgfalt verehren, indem sie Blumen und Lichter darbringen.

Word by Word

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

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नरशार्दूलाः: tiger-like men / best of men
• नरशार्दूलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (नराः शार्दूलाः इव)

• हृष्टाः: delighted
• हृष्टाः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject attribute/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) ‘हृष्ट’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (नरशार्दूलाः)

• पुष्टाः: well-nourished / strong
• पुष्टाः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject attribute/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) ‘पुष्ट’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (नरशार्दूलाः)

• स्वलंकृताः: well-adorned
• स्वलंकृताः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject attribute/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-आलंकृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; उपसर्ग-समास/तत्पुरुष (सु + आलंकृत)

• पुष्पदीपप्रदानेन: by offering flowers and lamps
• पुष्पदीपप्रदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प-दीप-प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वपूर्वक तत्पुरुष (पुष्पाणां दीपानां च प्रदानम्)

• अर्चयिष्यन्ति: they will worship
• अर्चयिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• यत्नतः: carefully / diligently
• यत्नतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्नतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (with effort/carefully)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha (festival worship setting)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Daityendra / addressed ‘narśārdūla’ (honorific to the addressee in narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Crowds of devotees, dressed in festive garments and ornaments, approach the deity/hero with trays of marigolds and lotus flowers, and rows of oil lamps; the atmosphere is orderly and reverent.

Characters & Entities

• Dīpa (lamp offering)
• Puṣpa (flowers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti expressed through simple offerings—flowers and lamps—becomes a powerful, community-sustaining form of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra in Prabhāsa, described as a place where devotees gather for worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana through puṣpa (flowers) and dīpa (lamps), offered as pradāna (devotional gifting).