Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

ओंवनस्पतिरसो दिव्यो गंधाढ्यो गंध उत्तमः । आहारः सर्वदेवानां धूपोऽयं प्रतिगृह्यताम्

Transliteration

oṃvanaspatiraso divyo gaṃdhāḍhyo gaṃdha uttamaḥ | āhāraḥ sarvadevānāṃ dhūpo'yaṃ pratigṛhyatām

Translation

ॐ ಈ ಧೂಪವು ವನಸ್ಪತಿಗಳ ದಿವ್ಯ ಸಾರ; ಸುಗಂಧದಿಂದ ಸಮೃದ್ಧ, ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ಪರಿಮಳವುಳ್ಳದು; ಇದು ಸರ್ವ ದೇವತೆಗಳ ಆಹಾರ—ಈ ಧೂಪವನ್ನು ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಲಿ।

Word by Word

• ओम्: Om
• ओम्: Sambandha (Invocation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: oṃ (अव्यय/प्रणव)
• Form: प्रणव-निपात (sacred syllable), अव्यय

• वनस्पति-रसः: the essence/sap of plants
• वनस्पति-रसः: Karta (Subject/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vanaspati (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वनस्पतेः रसः = sap/essence of a tree)

• दिव्यः: divine
• दिव्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying वनस्पति-रसः)

• गन्धाढ्यः: abounding in fragrance
• गन्धाढ्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (गन्धेन आढ्यः = rich in fragrance)

• गन्धः: fragrance
• गन्धः: Karta (Subject/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-विशेष्य (appositional)

• उत्तमः: excellent
• उत्तमः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (गन्धः)

• आहारः: food/oblation
• आहारः: Karta (Subject/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सर्वदेवानाम्: of all the gods
• सर्वदेवानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (सर्वे देवाः)

• धूपः: incense
• धूपः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshana (Demonstrative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रतिगृह्यताम्: may it be accepted
• प्रतिगृह्यताम्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati + grah (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/benedictive usage), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; आज्ञार्थे—‘स्वीकृत्यताम्’ (let it be accepted)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Incense smoke rises in curling streams from a censer; the devotee recites ‘oṃ vanaspati-raso divyaḥ…’ as the fragrance fills the sanctum, suggesting the forest’s essence offered to the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Sarva-devāḥ (all gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship sanctifies the senses: fragrance offered as dhūpa becomes a subtle ‘food’ of devotion for the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; it is a mantra for the dhūpa upacāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer incense (dhūpa), described as divine tree-essence, with a mantra requesting acceptance.