Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

उन्मत्तकं ततो देवं द्वारपालं प्रपूजयेत् । स्नापयित्वा सुगन्धेन कुंकुमेन विलिप्य च

Transliteration

unmattakaṃ tato devaṃ dvārapālaṃ prapūjayet | snāpayitvā sugandhena kuṃkumena vilipya ca

Translation

Ensuite, qu’on rende un culte dû au divin gardien de la porte, Unmattaka ; après l’avoir baigné de substances parfumées, qu’on l’oigne aussi de pâte de safran (kunkuma).

Word by Word

• unmattakam: Unmattaka (name of the deity/guardian)
• unmattakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: unmattaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (masc. acc. sg.)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (indeclinable; ‘then/thereafter’)

• devam: the deity
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (masc. acc. sg.)

• dvārapālam: door-guardian
• dvārapālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāra + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dvārasya pālaḥ) (masc. acc. sg.)

• prapūjayet: should worship
• prapūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √pūj (पूज पूजायाम्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (vidhiliṅ, 3rd person sg.)

• snāpayitvā: having bathed (him)
• snāpayitvā: Pūrvakāla (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √snā (स्ना स्नाने)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); ‘स्नापयित्वा’ = causative (णिच्) + क्त्वा (having bathed/caused to bathe)

• sugandhena: with fragrance/perfume
• sugandhena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sugandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• kuṃkumena: with saffron
• kuṃkumena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṃkuma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन (neut. instr. sg.)

• vilipya: having anointed
• vilipya: Pūrvakāla (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vi + √lip (लिप् लेपने)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) (having anointed/smeared)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from procedural pūjā-vidhi instructions)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the temple gate stands the dvārapāla Unmattaka, fierce yet protective; devotees bathe the icon with scented water and apply saffron paste, offering flowers and lamps at the threshold.

Characters & Entities

• Unmattaka
• Dvārāpāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred worship includes honoring protective deities at the threshold, acknowledging order, guardianship, and ritual propriety.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, where even the gatekeeper deity is integrated into the holy-site worship protocol.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship the dvārapāla Unmattaka with snāna (ritual bathing), fragrant substances, and kuṅkuma anointing.