Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

चंद्रपूजां ततः कुर्यादागमोक्तविधानतः । माषैः षोडशभिः कार्या प्रत्येकं प्रतिमा शुभा

Transliteration

caṃdrapūjāṃ tataḥ kuryādāgamoktavidhānataḥ | māṣaiḥ ṣoḍaśabhiḥ kāryā pratyekaṃ pratimā śubhā

Translation

Dann soll die Verehrung des Mondes nach der in den Āgamas gelehrten Vorschrift vollzogen werden. Jedes glückverheißende Bildnis ist jeweils aus sechzehn māṣas (festgesetztes Gewichts-/Mengenmaß) anzufertigen.

Word by Word

• चंद्रपूजाम्: moon-worship
• चंद्रपूजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular; समासः = ‘worship of the moon’

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘thereafter’

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘should do/perform’

• आगमोक्तविधानतः: as prescribed in the Āgamas
• आगमोक्तविधानतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आगम + उक्त + विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘according to the procedure stated in the Āgamas’

• माषैः: with māṣa-beans (black gram)
• माषैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/Material)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन — instrumental plural

• षोडशभिः: with sixteen (in number)
• षोडशभिः: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन — instrumental plural; numeral ‘by sixteen’

• कार्या: to be made
• कार्या: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (कृदन्त; √कृ (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण — ‘to be made’

• प्रत्येकम्: each (one)
• प्रत्येकम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति + एक (अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘each, individually’

• प्रतिमा: the image
• प्रतिमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular

• शुभा: auspicious
• शुभा: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced for Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra (Candra-pūjā context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritualist fashions sixteen small auspicious images/offerings on a scale, measuring each to sixteen māṣas, then begins Candra-pūjā before a silver-toned lunar emblem.

Characters & Entities

• Candra
• Āgama
• Pratimā
• Māṣa (measure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is strengthened by disciplined adherence to well-transmitted ritual procedures (āgama-vidhi).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā is the larger setting; the verse details the method rather than naming a sub-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Candra-pūjā per Āgamic rules and craft each pratimā using a specified measure: sixteen māṣas.