Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

गन्धपुष्पादिधूपैश्च सोऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत् । मासोपवासं यः कुर्यात्तत्र तीर्थे नरेश्वर

Transliteration

gandhapuṣpādidhūpaiśca so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet | māsopavāsaṃ yaḥ kuryāttatra tīrthe nareśvara

Translation

സുഗന്ധം, പുഷ്പം, ധൂപം മുതലായവകൊണ്ട് പൂജിച്ചാൽ അവൻ അശ്വമേധയാഗഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും. ഹേ നരേശ്വരാ, ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ മാസോപവാസം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ അത്തരം പുണ്യം നേടും.

Word by Word

• गन्धपुष्पादिधूपैः: with perfumes, flowers, incense, etc.
• गन्धपुष्पादिधूपैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + धूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); समाहार-द्वन्द्व/समुच्चयार्थः—‘गन्धैः पुष्पैः आदिधूपैः’ (with perfumes, flowers, and incense etc.)

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• अश्वमेधफलम्: the fruit (merit) of the Aśvamedha
• अश्वमेधफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• मासोपवासम्: a month-long fast
• मासोपवासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक) + उपवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• नरेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; संबोधन (address)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śuklatīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nareśvara (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A worshipper offers sandal fragrance, flowers, and curling incense smoke before Umā-Rudra at the tīrtha; a symbolic horse-sacrifice motif appears faintly (as an emblem of equivalent merit), while an ascetic undertakes month-long fasting nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha
• Tīrtha (Śuklatīrtha implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere worship and disciplined fasting at a sacred place can equal the merit of grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage refers to “that tīrtha” within the chapter—Śuklatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer gandha, flowers, and incense in worship; additionally, observe a month-long fast at the tīrtha.