Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सारस्वत उवाच । गंगोदकं मधुघृते कुंकुमागुरुचंद नम् । गुग्गुलं बिल्वपत्राणि बकपुष्पं च यो वहेत्

Transliteration

sārasvata uvāca | gaṃgodakaṃ madhughṛte kuṃkumāgurucaṃda nam | guggulaṃ bilvapatrāṇi bakapuṣpaṃ ca yo vahet

Translation

Sārasvata dit : « Quiconque apporte l’eau du Gange, le miel et le ghee, le safran, l’agaru et le santal, la résine de guggulu, les feuilles de bilva et les fleurs de bakula (pour le culte)… »

Word by Word

• सारस्वतः: Sārasvata
• सारस्वतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• गङ्गोदकम्: Ganges water
• गङ्गोदकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (gaṅgāyāḥ udakam)

• मधु: honey
• मधु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• घृते: ghee
• घृते: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• कुङ्कुमम्: saffron/vermilion
• कुङ्कुमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुङ्कुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• अगुरु: aloeswood (aguru)
• अगुरु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• चन्दनम्: sandalwood
• चन्दनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• गुग्गुलम्: guggulu resin
• गुग्गुलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुग्गुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• बिल्वपत्राणि: bilva leaves
• बिल्वपत्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिल्व + पत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन (plural); समासः—तत्पुरुष (bilvasya patrāṇi)

• बकपुष्पम्: baka flowers
• बकपुष्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (bakasya puṣpam)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यः: who (whoever)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• वहेत्: should carry
• वहेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Sārasvata

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/adhikārins addressed within the māhātmya narrative (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim prepares a shoulder-borne bundle of offerings: a small pot of Gaṅgā water, jars of honey and ghee, saffron, agaru and sandal paste, guggulu incense, bilva leaves, and bakula blossoms, set before a Śiva shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Sārasvata
• Gaṅgā
• Bilva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is made concrete through proper offerings gathered and carried with purity for worship at a sacred place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instructions belong to the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa), a tīrtha-centered glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Carrying specific pūjā materials—Gaṅgā water, honey, ghee, kuṅkuma, agaru, sandalwood, guggulu, bilva leaves, and flowers—for worship.