Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

भावभक्तिसमा युक्ता मंत्रसंयोजनेन च । देवी मन्त्रसमायाता त्वया वालुकयाऽर्चिता

Transliteration

bhāvabhaktisamā yuktā maṃtrasaṃyojanena ca | devī mantrasamāyātā tvayā vālukayā'rcitā

Translation

“Joined with heartfelt devotion and with the proper application of mantra, the Goddess—made present through mantra—was worshipped by you with sand.”

Word by Word

• भावभक्तिसमा: equal to (true) devotional feeling
• भावभक्तिसमा: Karta (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + samā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (bhāva-bhaktyā samā = equal to devotional feeling)

• युक्ता: joined/connected
• युक्ता: Kriya/State (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yuj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मन्त्रसंयोजनेन: by the joining/application of mantra
• मन्त्रसंयोजनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (mantrasya saṃyojanena)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मन्त्रसमायाता: arrived/manifest through mantra
• मन्त्रसमायाता: Karta (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + samāyāta (प्रातिपदिक; sam+ā+√yā धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP) samāyāta; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (mantraiḥ samāyātā / mantrena samāyātā: mantra-associated/arrived with mantra)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया, एकवचन

• वालुकया: with sand
• वालुकया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vālukā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• अर्चिता: was worshipped
• अर्चिता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arc (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग

Speaker

The sage (muni)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devotee worships a small sand-formed image of the Goddess; mantra syllables depicted as luminous garland entering the sand form, making the deity ‘present’; hands in añjali with offerings of water/flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• mantra
• bhāva-bhakti
• vālukā (sand)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti becomes effective when paired with mantra; sacred presence is ‘invited’ and sustained through both inner feeling and correct invocation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to a tīrtha chapter but does not name the site; it provides the doctrinal basis for place-based worship practices.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (worship) performed with sand, supported by mantra-saṃyojana and bhāva-bhakti.