Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

निर्माल्यापनयं चक्रे तावच्छून्यं शिवालयम् । निशम्य कांदिशीको मां पप्रच्छ मधुरस्वरम्

Transliteration

nirmālyāpanayaṃ cakre tāvacchūnyaṃ śivālayam | niśamya kāṃdiśīko māṃ papraccha madhurasvaram

Translation

He began to remove the nirmālya, the previous day’s offerings; until then the Śiva-temple was empty. Hearing (something), Kāṃdiśīka addressed me in a sweet voice and questioned me.

Word by Word

• निर्माल्यापनयम्: removal of the offerings/remnants
• निर्माल्यापनयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्माल्य + अपनय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (निर्माल्यस्य अपनयः)

• चक्रे: did/performed
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• तावत्: then/meanwhile
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थक (for that long/then)

• शून्यम्: empty
• शून्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शून्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• शिवालयम्: Śiva-temple
• शिवालयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव + आलय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शिवस्य आलयः)

• निशम्य: having heard
• निशम्य: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-शम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त; ‘having heard/learning’

• कांदिशीकः: Kāṃdiśīka (a person)
• कांदिशीकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कांदिशीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पप्रच्छ: asked
• पप्रच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-छ्/पृच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मधुरस्वरम्: in a sweet voice / sweet-toned (speech)
• मधुरस्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधुर + स्वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (मधुरः स्वरः यस्य/मधुरस्वरः); अत्र ‘स्वरम्’ इति रूपेण वाच्य-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Nāḍījaṃgha (contextual continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A priest/elder (Kāṃdiśīka) enters the quiet Śiva temple at dawn, gently removing garlands and remnants from the previous day; noticing the shrine’s unsettling emptiness, he turns with a soft, affectionate expression toward the child.

Characters & Entities

• Śivālaya
• Kāṃdiśīka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Temple worship includes disciplined care for offerings; reverent maintenance of Śiva’s abode is part of lived dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A general Śivālaya (Śiva-temple) context is described; no named tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nirmālya-apanaya—removing old/withered offerings from the shrine—is referenced as a temple maintenance practice.