Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

धूपं च गुग्गुलुं दद्यान्नैवेद्यं भक्तमेव च । प्राशनं गोमयं प्रोक्तं सर्वपापविशुद्धये

Transliteration

dhūpaṃ ca gugguluṃ dadyānnaivedyaṃ bhaktameva ca | prāśanaṃ gomayaṃ proktaṃ sarvapāpaviśuddhaye

Translation

Qu’on offre l’encens de guggulu en fumigation et qu’on présente du riz cuit en offrande (naivedya). Le ‘prāśana’ prescrit est la bouse de vache, dite purifier de tous les péchés.

Word by Word

• dhūpam: incense
• dhūpam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘incense’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — ‘and’

• guggulum: guggulu resin
• guggulum: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guggulu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘guggulu (resin)’

• dadyāt: should offer
• dadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘should give/offer’

• naivedyam: food offering
• naivedyam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘food offering’

• bhaktam: cooked food (rice)
• bhaktam: Karman (Appositional object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘cooked rice/food’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण) — ‘indeed/only’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — ‘and’

• prāśanam: consumption (to be done)
• prāśanam: Karta (Topic/subject of statement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pra√aś (धातु) + ana (प्रत्यय, भाववाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘eating/consumption’

• gomayam: cow-dung
• gomayam: Karta (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — here predicate nominative with proktam: ‘cow-dung’

• proktam: is declared
• proktam: Kriya (Predicative statement/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√vac (धातु) + ta (क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) used predicatively, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘is said/declared’

• sarva-pāpa-viśuddhaye: for purification from all sins
• sarva-pāpa-viśuddhaye: Sampradana (Purpose/recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + viśuddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन — ‘for the purification from all sins’ (उद्देश्य/प्रयोजन)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya didactic style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual scene where guggulu smoke curls upward before the deity; a plate of bhakta (cooked rice) is offered; the officiant prepares a small, austere prāśana as part of purification.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Guggulu
• Gomaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification (śuddhi) is pursued through disciplined, prescribed offerings and austere ritual observances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrtha-māhātmya frame, but this specific śloka emphasizes monthly ritual prescription rather than naming a single site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer guggulu as dhūpa, offer cooked rice as naivedya, and perform the stated prāśana for removal of sins.