Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

संमार्जने किं फलं स्यात्तथा रंगावलीषु च । प्रदाने दर्पणस्याथ तथा वै चामरस्य च

Transliteration

saṃmārjane kiṃ phalaṃ syāttathā raṃgāvalīṣu ca | pradāne darpaṇasyātha tathā vai cāmarasya ca

Translation

Quel fruit spirituel naît du balayage et de la purification du lieu sacré, et de même du tracé des ornements (raṅgāvalī) ? Et quel mérite y a-t-il à offrir un miroir, ainsi qu’un éventail rituel (cāmara) ?

Word by Word

• संमार्जने: in sweeping/cleaning
• संमार्जने: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संमार्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Predicate complement/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), तुल्यत्व/अनुक्रम (likewise/so)

• रङ्ग-आवलीषु: in colored designs/rows
• रङ्ग-आवलीषु: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + आवली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—रङ्गस्य आवली (rows/patterns of colors)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• प्रदाने: in giving/donation
• प्रदाने: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• दर्पणस्य: of a mirror
• दर्पणस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Connector (अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), तुल्यत्व/अनुक्रम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• चामरस्य: of a yak-tail fan (chāmara)
• चामरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चामर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter) / पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine) प्रचलित; अत्र षष्ठी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Śiva-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Temple courtyard at dawn: devotees sweeping the stone floor, sprinkling water, drawing rangāvalī patterns with colored powders; nearby, a donor presents a polished mirror and a white yak-tail cāmara to the shrine attendants for Śiva’s worship.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seemingly simple acts of service and beauty offered to the divine—cleaning, decoration, and gifts—carry spiritual merit when done as worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The inquiry belongs to Kedārakhaṇḍa, pointing to Kedāra’s temple-centered devotional culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Saṃmārjana (cleaning), creating rangāvalī (devotional designs), and dāna of darpaṇa (mirror) and cāmara (ritual fan).