Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

संस्थाप्य पूजयेद्भक्त्या पुष्पधूपानुलेपनैः । प्राणरुद्राञ्जपन्पश्चाच्छ्रद्धया परया युतः

Transliteration

saṃsthāpya pūjayedbhaktyā puṣpadhūpānulepanaiḥ | prāṇarudrāñjapanpaścācchraddhayā parayā yutaḥ

Translation

Après l’avoir dûment établi, qu’on le vénère avec dévotion—par des fleurs, de l’encens et des onguents. Ensuite, muni d’une foi suprême, qu’on accomplisse le japa des Prāṇarudras.

Word by Word

• संस्थाप्य: having installed/established
• संस्थाप्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier of main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), उपसर्गः सम्-, धातुः √स्था (to place/stand) — 'having established'

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम् (Singular), परस्मैपदम् — 'should worship'

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचनम् — 'with devotion'

• पुष्प-धूप-अनुलेपनैः: with flowers, incense, and unguents
• पुष्प-धूप-अनुलेपनैः: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + धूप (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुलेपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचनम् — 'with flowers, incense, and unguents'

• प्राणरुद्रान्: the Prāṇarudras
• प्राणरुद्रान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणरुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचनम् — 'the Prāṇarudras (a set of Rudras)'

• जपन्: chanting/reciting
• जपन्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/participial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम् — 'chanting' (agreeing with implied agent)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb) — 'afterwards'

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचनम् — 'with faith'

• परया: supreme
• परया: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचनम् — विशेषणम् (qualifying श्रद्धया) — 'with supreme (faith)'

• युतः: endowed (with)
• युतः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √युज्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम् — 'endowed/possessed' (of the agent)

Speaker

Narrator (instructional tone within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa devotee completes liṅga-pratiṣṭhā on a clean altar near a tīrtha; he offers flowers, incense smoke curls upward, and applies sandal/unguents; then sits in japa with rosary, eyes lowered in śraddhā.

Characters & Entities

• liṅga (implied)
• Prāṇarudras
• Rudra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti is enacted through orderly worship—installation, offerings, and mantra-japa—performed with unwavering faith.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The rite is situated within the Sarasvatī-tīrtha narrative, presenting the tīrtha as a fit ground for Śaiva worship and japa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Install (saṃsthāpya) the liṅga, worship with flowers/incense/unguents, then chant (japa) the Prāṇarudra invocations with supreme śraddhā.