Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

पुनः प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य तदेव शिवमन्दिरम् । बलिपिंडादिलोभेन पुनर्द्वारमुपागतः

Transliteration

punaḥ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya tadeva śivamandiram | balipiṃḍādilobhena punardvāramupāgataḥ

Translation

അവൻ വീണ്ടും അതേ ശിവമന്ദിരം പ്രദക്ഷിണം ചെയ്തു; ബലിപിണ്ഡം മുതലായവയുടെ ലാഭലോഭം കൊണ്ടു പ്രേരിതനായി വീണ്ടും വാതിലിനരികെ എത്തി।

Word by Word

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: having circumambulated
• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रदक्षिणी√कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (having done)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• शिवमन्दिरम्: Śiva's temple
• शिवमन्दिरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्दिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (accusative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śivasya mandiram)

• बलिपिण्डादिलोभेन: due to greed for the offering-balls etc.
• बलिपिण्डादिलोभेन: Hetu/Kāraṇa (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक) + पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + लोभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण/हेतु), एकवचन (instrumental singular); समासः—(बलिपिण्डादिषु) लोभः इति; तृतीया-हेतौ (because of)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• द्वारम्: the door
• द्वारम्: Karma (Object/Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• उपागतः: arrived, came near
• उपागतः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप√गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (having come/arrived)

Speaker

Rājā (narrating his own experience to the Queen)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restless figure repeatedly circumambulates a Śiva temple, then returns to the doorway, eyes fixed on offerings, hands half-extended in craving; the sanctum glows while the threshold casts a sharp shadow.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śiva-mandira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when one comes near a sacred shrine, lingering greed can pull the mind back to the threshold; devotion should be free from craving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Śiva-mandira (Śiva temple) is central; the verse highlights temple-proximity and its moral testing, though no named tīrtha appears in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) of the Śiva temple is explicitly mentioned.