Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

रक्तैः पुष्पैर्महावीर पादाद्यं पूजयेत्ततः । पतंगाय नमः पादौ मार्तंडायेति जानुनी

Transliteration

raktaiḥ puṣpairmahāvīra pādādyaṃ pūjayettataḥ | pataṃgāya namaḥ pādau mārtaṃḍāyeti jānunī

Translation

Ô grand héros, alors qu’on vénère les pieds et les membres inférieurs avec des fleurs rouges. En récitant « Hommage à Pataṅga », on adore les Pieds ; et en récitant « (Hommage) à Mārtaṇḍa », on adore les Genoux.

Word by Word

• raktaiḥ: with red (ones)
• raktaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; (puṣpaiḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• puṣpaiḥ: with flowers
• puṣpaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• mahāvīra: O great hero
• mahāvīra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahāvīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• pāda-ādyam: the (worship) beginning with the feet
• pāda-ādyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: पादः आदिः यस्य/यत्र (beginning with the feet)

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

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): ततः (then/thereafter)

• pataṃgāya: to Pataṅga (Sun)
• pataṃgāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pataṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Kriya (Speech-act/उक्ति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable interjection): नमः (salutation)

• pādau: (the two) feet
• pādau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), द्विवचन

• mārtaṇḍāya: to Mārtaṇḍa (Sun)
• mārtaṇḍāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārtaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (quotative particle): इति (thus)

• jānunī: (the two) knees
• jānunī: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jānu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), द्विवचन

Speaker

Deductive (Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration; likely Skanda instructing a listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king) / mahāvīra addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close view of Sūrya-pratimā’s feet and knees being offered red flowers; the worshipper’s hands place blossoms while softly reciting epithets.

Characters & Entities

• Divākara (Sūrya)
• Pataṅga
• Mārtaṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion becomes complete when worship is done with method (vidhi) and reverent remembrance of the deity’s sacred names.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya, the passage supports tīrtha-based observance; the exact site name is not stated in this verse snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Aṅga-pūjā (limb-wise worship) of Sūrya using red flowers, with mantras naming the Sun as Pataṅga and Mārtaṇḍa.