Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ततो राजोपचारेण पूजयेद्विधिवन्नरः । एवं कृते महादेवि मेरुदानफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

tato rājopacāreṇa pūjayedvidhivannaraḥ | evaṃ kṛte mahādevi merudānaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Ensuite, que l’homme vénère par des offrandes royales, selon le rite prescrit. Ainsi accompli, ô Mahādevī, il obtient un mérite égal au grand don nommé Meru-dāna.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), क्रमवाचक अव्यय (sequence adverb)

• rāja-upacāreṇa: with royal offerings/attendants (royal mode of worship)
• rāja-upacāreṇa: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + upacāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• vidhivat: according to rule; duly
• vidhivat: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• naraḥ: a man; person
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• evam: thus; in this way
• evam: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

• kṛte: when (this) is done
• kṛte: Adhikarana (Circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त (past participle); लोकेटिव्-अब्सोल्यूट् (locative absolute)

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādevī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• meru-dāna-phalam: the fruit of the Meru-gift (Merudāna)
• meru-dāna-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratneśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After abhiṣeka, the shrine becomes regal: silk cloth, garlands, gold ornaments, parasol and fly-whisks; the worshipper performs vidhivat pūjā before Ratneśvara, while a Meru-shaped golden donation motif is symbolically shown.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī
• Meru-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proper, reverent worship performed according to dharma yields extraordinary merit, equated here with the famed Meru-dāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, specifically the worship-context of Ādityeśvara described in this māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (pūjā) performed vidhivat, with rājopacāra—royal-grade offerings and honors.