Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

चातुर्मास्ये विशेषेण भक्तियुक्तः सदा शुचिः । भक्त्या सुविहिता ब्रह्मन्पुष्पपूजा नरैर्यदि

Transliteration

cāturmāsye viśeṣeṇa bhaktiyuktaḥ sadā śuciḥ | bhaktyā suvihitā brahmanpuṣpapūjā narairyadi

Translation

Surtout durant le Cāturmāsya, si les hommes—toujours purs et animés de dévotion—accomplissent correctement le culte des fleurs avec bhakti, ô brahmane, le mérite en est immense.

Word by Word

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular; ‘in the Cāturmāsya (four-month observance)’

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular; adverbial use ‘especially’

• भक्तियुक्तः: endowed with devotion
• भक्तियुक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (कृदन्त, √युज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; past participle ‘endowed with’; समास: भक्ति-युक्त (तत्पुरुष)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; predicate adjective ‘pure’

• भक्त्या: by devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular

• सुविहिता: well-performed
• सुविहिता: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + विहित (कृदन्त, √धा/√हि ‘to place/ordain’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; past participle ‘well-performed/well-arranged’ qualifying ‘puṣpapūjā’

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — address ‘O Brahmin’

• पुष्पपूजा: flower-worship
• पुष्पपूजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; समास: पुष्प-पूजा (तत्पुरुष) ‘worship with flowers’

• नरैः: by men
• नरैः: Kartr/Agent (Doer/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — instrumental plural

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — शर्तबोधक अव्यय (conditional particle ‘if’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmin interlocutor (addressed as ‘brahman’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Monsoon-season temple worship: devotees in clean white garments offer flowers under dripping eaves; the shrine glows warmly while rain falls outside—signifying Cāturmāsya’s inward devotion and disciplined purity.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seasonal sacred time (Cāturmāsya) amplifies merit when worship is done with inner devotion and outer purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse highlights the sacred time-observance (Cāturmāsya) within the pilgrimage-mahātmya context rather than naming a specific tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform puṣpa-pūjā during Cāturmāsya with bhakti and śauca, following proper procedure.