Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

पुष्पैरन्यैर्यथालाभं यो नरः पूजयेच्छिवम् । नैरन्तर्येण षण्मासं योऽर्चयेद्गौतमेश्वरम् । सर्वान्कामानवाप्नोति मृतः शिवपुरं व्रजेत्

Transliteration

puṣpairanyairyathālābhaṃ yo naraḥ pūjayecchivam | nairantaryeṇa ṣaṇmāsaṃ yo'rcayedgautameśvaram | sarvānkāmānavāpnoti mṛtaḥ śivapuraṃ vrajet

Translation

Avec d’autres fleurs, selon ce que l’on peut obtenir, si un homme vénère Śiva; et s’il adore sans relâche, durant six mois, Gautameśvara, il obtient tous les objets de son désir, et, après la mort, gagne la demeure de Śiva.

Word by Word

• puṣpaiḥ: with flowers
• puṣpaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

• anyaiḥ: other
• anyaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-बहुवचन (Instrumental plural); विशेषण

• yathā-lābham: as available
• yathā-lābham: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + lābha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्यय (adverb): 'as obtained/according to availability'

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √पूज्

• śivam: Śiva
• śivam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• nairantaryeṇa: with continuity, uninterruptedly
• nairantaryeṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nairantarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन (Instrumental singular); भाववाचक

• ṣaṇmāsam: for six months
• ṣaṇmāsam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular); द्विगुसमास: 'six months' (कालपरिमाण)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• arcayet: should worship
• arcayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √अर्च्

• gautameśvaram: Gautameśvara (a form of Śiva)
• gautameśvaram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'Gautama's Lord'

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Accusative plural); विशेषण

• kāmān: desires
• kāmān: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Accusative plural)

• avāpnoti: attains
• avāpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √आप् with उपसर्ग अव-

• mṛtaḥ: having died
• mṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (प्रातिपदिक; √mṛ धातु-कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• śivapuram: Śiva’s abode
• śivapuram: Gati-karman (Goal/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'Śiva's city'

• vrajet: should go
• vrajet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √व्रज्

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautameśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (Mahīpāla)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calendar-like sequence: the same devotee returns daily for six months to offer whatever flowers are available, culminating in a radiant vision of Śiva’s abode.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gautameśvara
• Śivapura
• Pūjā
• Ṣaṇmāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consistency in devotion (nairantarya) is transformative: sustained worship yields both worldly fulfillment and a Śaiva afterlife ideal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautameśvara, a Śiva-tīrtha praised in Revā Khaṇḍa (Āvantya Khaṇḍa), associated with the Revā river.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship Śiva with available flowers, and worship Gautameśvara continuously for six months.