Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

पूजयेत्परया भक्त्या वाचकं शास्त्रमेव च । वेदपाठैश्च यत्पुण्यमग्निहोत्रैश्च पालितैः

Transliteration

pūjayetparayā bhaktyā vācakaṃ śāstrameva ca | vedapāṭhaiśca yatpuṇyamagnihotraiśca pālitaiḥ

Translation

—പരമഭക്തിയോടെ വാചകനെയും ശാസ്ത്രത്തെയും തന്നെ പൂജിക്കണം. വേദപാഠത്തിലൂടെയും വിധിപൂർവ്വം പാലിച്ച അഗ്നിഹോത്രകർമ്മങ്ങളിലൂടെയും ലഭിക്കുന്ന പുണ്യം—

Word by Word

• पूजयेत्: should worship/honor
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परया: with supreme
• परया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; विशेषण (to 'भक्त्या')

• भक्त्या: devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• वाचकम्: the reciter/teacher
• वाचकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• शास्त्रम्: the scripture
• शास्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphasis)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• वेदपाठैः: by Vedic recitations
• वेदपाठैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + पाठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वेदस्य पाठाः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-विशेषण (correlative: 'whatever')

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• अग्निहोत्रैः: by agnihotra rites
• अग्निहोत्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्निहोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• पालितैः: duly observed/performed
• पालितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पालित (पा/पाल् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि-विशेषण (past passive participle: 'performed/observed')

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Revā Khaṇḍa; traditionally Sūta-like narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-carita (śravaṇa/pāṭha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vācaka recites from a revered manuscript; devotees perform pūjā to the book itself (flowers, incense) and offer dakṣiṇā; a small agnihotra fire is symbolically present to echo the comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Veda
• Agnihotra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence to the teacher-reciter and the sacred text is a high form of dharma, equated with major Vedic sources of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā/Revā is glorified indirectly through the elevation of her māhātmya’s recitation and worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vācaka-pūjā (honoring the reciter) and śāstra-pūjā (honoring the text), framed as yielding Veda/agnihotra-like merit.