Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ब्रह्माणं पूजयित्वा तु पश्चादेनां सुरेश्वरीम् । पूजयिष्यंति ये मर्त्यास्ते तु यांति परां गतिम्

Transliteration

brahmāṇaṃ pūjayitvā tu paścādenāṃ sureśvarīm | pūjayiṣyaṃti ye martyāste tu yāṃti parāṃ gatim

Translation

ಯಾರು ಮೊದಲು ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸಿ ನಂತರ ಈ ಸುರೇಶ್ವರಿಯನ್ನು ಆರಾಧಿಸುವರೋ, ಆ ಮর্ত್ಯರು ಪರಮಗತಿಯನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುವರು।

Word by Word

• brahmāṇam: Brahmā
• brahmāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• pūjayitvā: having worshipped
• pūjayitvā: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• tu: then
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अनुक्रम-बोधक (particle: then/but)

• paścāt: afterwards
• paścāt: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: afterwards)

• enām: her
• enām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: enad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• sureśvarīm: the queen/lordess of the gods
• sureśvarīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: surā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (surāṇām īśvarī)

• pūjayiṣyanti: they will worship
• pūjayiṣyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• martyāḥ: mortals
• martyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/निश्चय-बोधक (particle)

• yānti: go, attain
• yānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• parām: supreme
• parām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (gatim)

• gatim: state, destination
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Divine/sage assembly (reported by Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-shrine sequence: a devotee first offers water/flowers to Brahmā (four-faced icon), then turns to the goddess shrine with lamp and garlands; a path or threshold marks the transition.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Sureśvarī (Devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rightly ordered worship, performed at a sanctified place, is presented as a direct path to the highest spiritual goal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra Māhātmya context of Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A sequence of pūjā is prescribed: worship Brahmā first, then worship the Goddess (Sureśvarī).