Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 141

Devanagari script

अखंडितैर्बिल्वपत्रैरग्रजातैस्त्रिपत्रकैः । त्रिकालं पूजितः शंभुर्लक्षमात्रैः सदा मया

Transliteration

akhaṃḍitairbilvapatrairagrajātaistripatrakaiḥ | trikālaṃ pūjitaḥ śaṃbhurlakṣamātraiḥ sadā mayā

Translation

Avec des feuilles de bilva intactes—tendres, nouvellement écloses et à trois folioles—je vénérais sans cesse Śambhu trois fois par jour, les offrant toujours par lakhs (cent mille).

Word by Word

• akhaṇḍitaiḥ: with unbroken/undamaged
• akhaṇḍitaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhaṇḍita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषणं 'bilvapatraiḥ'

• bilva-patraiḥ: with bilva leaves
• bilva-patraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bilva (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (bilvasya patram)

• agra-jātaiḥ: newly grown, fresh
• agra-jātaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agra (प्रातिपदिक) + jāta (कृदन्त; √jan)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (agre jātāni = newly sprung/first-grown)

• tri-patrakaiḥ: three-leafed
• tri-patrakaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या) + patraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि पत्राणि यस्य)

• tri-kālam: thrice daily
• tri-kālam: Avyaya (Temporal modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tri (संख्या) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत्; अर्थः 'त्रिषु कालेषु' (three times a day)

• pūjitaḥ: was worshipped
• pūjitaḥ: Kriya (Passive predicate/कर्मणि-क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūjita (कृदन्त; √pūj)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'śaṃbhuḥ' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• śaṃbhuḥ: Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhuḥ: Karma (Patient in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• lakṣa-mātraiḥ: in amounts of a lakh (each time)
• lakṣa-mātraiḥ: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (lakṣasya mātrā = amount of a lakh)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Avyaya (Temporal modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (adverb: always)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Ulūka

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted worshipper performs thrice-daily Śiva-arcana, placing fresh, unbroken tripatra bilva leaves upon a liṅga; lamps and water vessels arranged in orderly ritual symmetry.

Characters & Entities

• Ulūka
• Śambhu (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady daily worship—performed with purity and completeness—builds immense religious merit and draws Śiva’s grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it glorifies a Śaiva devotional practice commonly associated with sacred places and shrines.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Trikāla-pūjā of Śiva using unbroken, fresh, tripartite bilva leaves, offered in very large count (lakṣa-mātra).