Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

तामसं राजसं वापि यत्कृतं विष्णुपूजनम् । तत्सात्त्विकत्वमभ्येति निम्नगांभो यथार्णवे

Transliteration

tāmasaṃ rājasaṃ vāpi yatkṛtaṃ viṣṇupūjanam | tatsāttvikatvamabhyeti nimnagāṃbho yathārṇave

Translation

Even worship of Viṣṇu performed in a tamasic or rajasic manner becomes sattvic in effect—just as the waters of a river, upon reaching the ocean, take on the nature of the sea.

Word by Word

• तामसम्: tamasic
• तामसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तामस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (विष्णुपूजनम् इति)

• राजसम्: rajasic
• राजसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राजस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (विष्णुपूजनम् इति)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (even/also)

• यत्-कृतम्: which is done
• यत्-कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'यत्' सम्बन्ध-विशेषण; विशेषण (विष्णुपूजनम् इति)

• विष्णु-पूजनम्: worship of Viṣṇu
• विष्णु-पूजनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पूजन (प्रातिपदिक; पूज् धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देशक-विशेषण

• सात्त्विकत्वम्: the state of sattva, purity
• सात्त्विकत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्त्विकत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (प्राप्य-भाव)

• अभ्येति: attains, comes to
• अभ्येति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-इ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• निम्नगा-अम्भः: river-water
• निम्नगा-अम्भः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निम्नगा (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमान-कर्तृ (यथा-उपमा)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय (as/just as)

• अर्णवे: in the ocean
• अर्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (उपमेय-स्थान)

Speaker

Unspecified in the given snippet (contextual narrator within Dvārakā Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā-kṣetra (Viṣṇu-pūjā-guṇa-śuddhi teaching)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience within the māhātmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic river flowing from rugged terrain into a vast ocean; as it merges, the water’s color and texture unify with the sea; alongside, a devotee offers Viṣṇu-pūjā with initially restless expression that becomes serene and luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Ocean (arṇava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti to Viṣṇu is intrinsically purifying; even imperfect worship is uplifted toward sattva by the object of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is doctrinal rather than geographic, occurring within the Dvārakā Māhātmya context that celebrates Dvārakā’s sacred sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Viṣṇu-pūjanam (worship of Viṣṇu), emphasizing its transformative spiritual quality regardless of initial guṇa.