Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

पूजयेत्परया भक्त्या वाचकं शास्त्रमेव च । वेदपाठैश्च यत्पुण्यमग्निहोत्रैश्च पालितैः

Transliteration

pūjayetparayā bhaktyā vācakaṃ śāstrameva ca | vedapāṭhaiśca yatpuṇyamagnihotraiśca pālitaiḥ

Translation

—one should, with supreme devotion, honor the reciter and the scripture itself. Whatever merit arises from Vedic recitation and from duly maintained agnihotra rites—

Word by Word

• पूजयेत्: should worship/honor
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परया: with supreme
• परया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; विशेषण (to 'भक्त्या')

• भक्त्या: devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• वाचकम्: the reciter/teacher
• वाचकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• शास्त्रम्: the scripture
• शास्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphasis)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• वेदपाठैः: by Vedic recitations
• वेदपाठैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + पाठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वेदस्य पाठाः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-विशेषण (correlative: 'whatever')

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• अग्निहोत्रैः: by agnihotra rites
• अग्निहोत्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्निहोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• पालितैः: duly observed/performed
• पालितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पालित (पा/पाल् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि-विशेषण (past passive participle: 'performed/observed')

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Revā Khaṇḍa; traditionally Sūta-like narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-carita (śravaṇa/pāṭha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vācaka recites from a revered manuscript; devotees perform pūjā to the book itself (flowers, incense) and offer dakṣiṇā; a small agnihotra fire is symbolically present to echo the comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Veda
• Agnihotra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence to the teacher-reciter and the sacred text is a high form of dharma, equated with major Vedic sources of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā/Revā is glorified indirectly through the elevation of her māhātmya’s recitation and worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vācaka-pūjā (honoring the reciter) and śāstra-pūjā (honoring the text), framed as yielding Veda/agnihotra-like merit.