Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

कुबेरेशे नरः स्नात्वा यस्तु पूजयते शिवम् । गन्धधूपनमस्कारैः सोऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

kubereśe naraḥ snātvā yastu pūjayate śivam | gandhadhūpanamaskāraiḥ so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

കുബേരേശത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ഗന്ധം, ധൂപം, നമസ്കാരം എന്നിവയാൽ ശിവനെ പൂജിക്കുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ അശ്വമേധയാഗഫലത്തോടു തുല്യമായ പുണ്യം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कुबेरेशे: at Kubereśa (place/temple of Kubera’s lord)
• कुबेरेशे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुबेरेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कुबेरस्य ईशः/ईशे); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative, Singular

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund) — ‘having bathed’

• यः: who
• यः: Kartā (Subject of relative clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Relative pronoun, Nominative, Singular

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha-sūcaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधसूचक-अव्यय (particle: ‘indeed/but’)

• पूजयते: worships
• पूजयते: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Present, 3rd person, Singular (Ātmanepada)

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• गन्धधूपनमस्कारैः: with perfumes, incense, and salutations
• गन्धधूपनमस्कारैः: Karaṇa (Means/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + धूप (प्रातिपदिक) + नमस्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (गन्धश्च धूपश्च नमस्कारश्च); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• सः: he
• सः: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Pronoun, Nominative, Singular

• अश्वमेधफलम्: the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेधफलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अश्वमेधस्य फलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriyā (Result)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva) (contextual speaker continuing the discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kubereśa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrim at a riverside/pond bath near Kubereśa, then entering a Śiva shrine; offering sandal paste and incense; hands folded in namaskāra; liṅga adorned, lamps glowing.

Characters & Entities

• Kubereśa
• Śiva
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere tīrtha-bathing and Śiva worship, even with simple offerings, can yield extraordinary merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kubereśa—presented as a sacred spot where bathing and Śiva-pūjā grant great fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Kubereśa followed by Śiva-pūjā using gandha (fragrance), dhūpa (incense), and namaskāra (salutation).