Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

आब्रह्मस्तंबपर्यंतं पूजितं तेन वै जगत् । अतः सुश्वेतकुसुमैर्विष्णुं संपूजयेत्सदा

Transliteration

ābrahmastaṃbaparyaṃtaṃ pūjitaṃ tena vai jagat | ataḥ suśvetakusumairviṣṇuṃ saṃpūjayetsadā

Translation

Olehnya, seluruh jagat sungguh dipuja—dari Brahmā hingga sehelai rumput. Karena itu, hendaknya senantiasa memuja Viṣṇu dengan bunga putih yang suci dan bersih.

Word by Word

• आब्रह्मस्तम्बपर्यन्तम्: up to Brahmā and (down to) a blade of grass (i.e., entirely)
• आब्रह्मस्तम्बपर्यन्तम्: Adhikarana (Extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्यन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः, द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण — Avyayībhāva compound functioning adverbially (‘up to …’)

• पूजितम्: worshipped
• पूजितम्: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Past passive participle, Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; (विशेषणम्: जगत्)

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Agent/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental, Singular; सर्वनाम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (causal adverb: therefore)

• सुश्वेतकुसुमैः: with very white flowers
• सुश्वेतकुसुमैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + श्वेत (प्रातिपदिक) + कुसुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental, Plural; कर्मधारय-समास (सु-श्वेतानि कुसुमानि)

• विष्णुम्: Vishnu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• संपूजयेत्: should worship
• संपूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular

• सदा: always
• सदा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers a cascade of white flowers to Viṣṇu; the garland transforms into a cosmic panorama—Brahmā above, sages, devas, humans, animals, and finally blades of grass—showing the ‘whole world worshiped’.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Viṣṇu is portrayed as reverence to the entire cosmos; simple purity (like white flowers) becomes a universal act of worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Tīrthamāhātmya setting, the teaching supports pilgrimage-dharma broadly; this line itself does not specify a named tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular worship of Viṣṇu using suśveta-kusuma (pure white flowers).