Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

जननीपूजनं भूप ह्यश्वमेधायुतैः समम् । पूर्णं वर्षशतं भूप कुशाग्रेणोद्धृतं जलम्

Transliteration

jananīpūjanaṃ bhūpa hyaśvamedhāyutaiḥ samam | pūrṇaṃ varṣaśataṃ bhūpa kuśāgreṇoddhṛtaṃ jalam

Translation

Ô roi, le culte rendu à la mère est l’égal de dix mille sacrifices Aśvamedha. Et de même, ô roi, l’eau soulevée avec la pointe de l’herbe kuśa durant cent années entières est louée comme un grand mérite.

Word by Word

• jananīpūjanam: worship of mother
• jananīpūjanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jananī (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जनन्याः पूजनम्)

• bhūpa: O king
• bhūpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• aśvamedhāyutaiḥ: with ten-thousands of Aśvamedhas
• aśvamedhāyutaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक) + ayuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अश्वमेधानाम् अयुतैः = ten-thousands of Aśvamedhas)

• samam: equal to
• samam: Kriya (Predicate complement/क्रियापूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तुल्यार्थक विशेषण

• pūrṇam: complete/full
• pūrṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• varṣaśatam: a hundred years
• varṣaśatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगुसमासः (शतं वर्षाणि)

• bhūpa: O king
• bhūpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• kuśāgreṇa: with the tip of a kuśa grass
• kuśāgreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuśa (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कुशस्य अग्रेण)

• uddhṛtam: drawn up
• uddhṛtam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√hṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘drawn up’

• jalam: water
• jalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; continuing address to a king within the Dvārakā Māhātmya discourse)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (bhūpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs mātṛ-pūjā—washing mother’s feet, offering flowers—while another scene shows a person lifting water with a kuśa tip daily over many years; a faint symbolic Aśvamedha altar appears to show equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha
• Kuśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring and worshiping one’s mother is exalted as supremely meritorious, surpassing even royal Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse belongs to Dvārakā Māhātmya, though this verse itself emphasizes dharma and merit rather than a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jananī-pūjana (mother worship); additionally, the verse references a long-term ritual act involving water lifted using kuśa-grass.