Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

महेश्वर्युवाच । शिवपूजा त्वया कार्या ध्यानेन तपसा सदा । अहं तस्मै प्रदातव्या केनचित्कारणेन वै

Transliteration

maheśvaryuvāca | śivapūjā tvayā kāryā dhyānena tapasā sadā | ahaṃ tasmai pradātavyā kenacitkāraṇena vai

Translation

Maheśvarī sprach: „Du sollst Śiva stets verehren — durch Meditation und Askese. Denn aus einem göttlichen Grund bin ich dazu bestimmt, Ihm dargebracht zu werden.“

Word by Word

• महेश्वरी: Maheshvarī
• महेश्वरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शिव-पूजा: worship of Śiva
• शिव-पूजा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शिवस्य पूजा)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• कार्या: must be done
• कार्या: Kriya (Predicative obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातोः यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done) शिवपूजा इति विशेष्या

• ध्यानेन: by meditation
• ध्यानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तपसा: by austerity
• तपसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: नित्यत्ववाचक-अव्यय (adverb: always)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• प्रदातव्या: to be given (in marriage)
• प्रदातव्या: Kriya (Predicative obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + दा (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive/future passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अहम् इति विधेय (I am to be given)

• केनचित्: by some (reason/agent)
• केनचित्: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (indefinite)

• कारणेन: by reason, due to a cause
• कारणेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

Speaker

Maheśvarī (Devī/Umā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Himavān

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Maheśvarī instructs Himavān: ‘Always worship Śiva with meditation and austerity.’ The Goddess speaks calmly; Himavān listens in reverent stillness; a liṅga or Śiva-symbol may be implied as the focus of worship.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvarī (Devī/Umā)
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady worship of Śiva through dhyāna and tapas is presented as the dharmic path that aligns the devotee with divine intention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya narrative of the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pūjā performed continually, specifically by meditation (dhyāna) and austerity (tapas).