Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

संति पद्मानि मे यच्छ मूल्यमादाय भद्रक । भोजनार्थमहं दद्मि कलधौतपलत्रयम्

Transliteration

saṃti padmāni me yaccha mūlyamādāya bhadraka | bhojanārthamahaṃ dadmi kaladhautapalatrayam

Translation

«J’ai des fleurs de lotus : donne-les-moi, brave homme, et prends-en le prix. Pour la nourriture, je donnerai trois palas d’or.»

Word by Word

• सन्ति: there are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन

• पद्मानि: lotuses
• पद्मानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive); एकवचन

• यच्छ: give (me)
• यच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन

• मूल्यम्: price, payment
• मूल्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + दा (धातु) → आदाय (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• भद्रक: O good man
• भद्रक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative); एकवचन

• भोजनार्थम्: for food
• भोजनार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भोजन + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• दद्मि: give
• दद्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्; परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st); एकवचन

• कलधौतपलत्रयम्: three palas of refined gold
• कलधौतपलत्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलधौत + पल + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कलधौतेन पलत्रयम् / कलधौतस्य पलत्रयम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

Speaker

Deductive: a poor householder/devotee speaking within the narrative (speaker not named in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Lotus seller (addressed as bhadraka)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee negotiates for lotus flowers, offering three palas of gold for food-money—an emphatic gesture of valuing worship offerings above personal comfort.

Characters & Entities

• Padma (lotus)
• Mahākāla (implied by surrounding verses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even under hardship, a devotee strives to secure pure offerings for worship, placing dharma and devotion above mere survival.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage centers on Mahākāla worship in a tīrtha-māhātmya setting; this verse itself focuses on obtaining lotus offerings rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Procuring padma (lotus) flowers as worship-offerings, even by paying a substantial price (gold), indicating the value placed on pūjā materials.