Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

संपूजितानि रक्षोभिश्चतुर्वक्त्राणि राक्षस । अजानन्मानवः कश्चिद्यदि पूजां समाचरेत्

Transliteration

saṃpūjitāni rakṣobhiścaturvaktrāṇi rākṣasa | ajānanmānavaḥ kaścidyadi pūjāṃ samācaret

Translation

Ô rākṣasa, ces formes/liṅga à quatre visages ont été pleinement adorées par les cohortes démoniaques ; si quelque humain, sans en connaître la nature, venait à leur rendre un culte…

Word by Word

• संपूजितानि: fully worshipped
• संपूजितानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + पूज् (धातु) → संपूजित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (neuter nom./acc. pl.)

• रक्षोभिः: by the rākṣasas/demons
• रक्षोभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• चतुर्वक्त्राणि: four-faced (ones)
• चतुर्वक्त्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चतुर्वक्त्र = चत्वारि वक्त्राणि यस्य/येषाम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (neuter nom./acc. pl.)

• राक्षस: O rākṣasa
• राक्षस: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• अजानन्: not knowing
• अजानन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + ज्ञा (धातु) → अजानत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय, present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मानवः: a man/human
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कश्चित्: someone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (indefinite pronoun)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-समुच्चय/निपात (conditional particle)

• पूजाम्: worship
• पूजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Dūta (contextual continuation; warning about human worship of corrupted installations)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A rākṣasa addressed directly (rākṣasa / rākṣasādhipa context continues)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shadowed grove or shrine precinct with four-faced liṅgas; rākṣasa hosts shown in past-time worship; a lone human devotee approaches unaware, while a narrator figure warns of danger.

Characters & Entities

• Rākṣasas
• Mānava (human)
• Caturvaktra (four-faced form/liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion should be guided by discernment; ignorance can misdirect worship when sacred forms are corrupted or mis-established.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not name a specific tīrtha; it functions as a caution within the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit prescription: prevent or remove such installations so that unsuspecting humans do not worship them.