Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

मादृशस्त्वं कथं शालिग्रामपूजाविधिं वद

Transliteration

mādṛśastvaṃ kathaṃ śāligrāmapūjāvidhiṃ vada

Translation

«Comment donc quelqu’un comme moi pourrait-il être digne ? Je t’en prie, enseigne-moi la juste manière de vénérer le Śāligrāma.»

Word by Word

• मादृशः: one like me
• मादृशः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘मद्-दृश’ = ‘मे सदृशः’ (one like me)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: कर्ता (Implied subject of ‘वद’) / सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा? (here: प्रथमा 2nd person pronoun), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; सम्बोधनार्थे/कर्तृवाचक

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: प्रकार (Manner adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (how)

• शालिग्रामपूजाविधिम्: the procedure for worship of Śālagrāma
• शालिग्रामपूजाविधिम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालिग्राम (प्रातिपदिक) + पूजा (प्रातिपदिक) + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः ‘शालिग्रामस्य पूजा’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + ‘विधि’ (तत्पुरुष) = ‘शालिग्रामपूजायाः विधिः’

• वद: tell/speak
• वद: क्रिया (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sacchūdra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śāligrāma (Gaṇḍakī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble devotee, hands folded, asks a sage for the correct procedure of worship; a Śāligrāma-śilā rests on a small altar with tulasī and a water pot nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Śāligrāma-śilā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere devotion seeks correct practice (vidhi) and guidance, rather than acting from doubt or hearsay.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific geographic tīrtha is named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request is made to explain the Śāligrāma pūjā-vidhi (worship procedure).