Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

दारिद्र्यं मरणं दुःखमृणभारं नगोपमम् । सद्यो विधूय संपद्भिः पूज्यते शिवपूजनात्

Transliteration

dāridryaṃ maraṇaṃ duḥkhamṛṇabhāraṃ nagopamam | sadyo vidhūya saṃpadbhiḥ pūjyate śivapūjanāt

Translation

ദാരിദ്ര്യം, മരണഭയം, ദുഃഖം, പർവ്വതസമമായ കടബാധ്യത—ഇവയെല്ലാം ഉടൻ കുലുക്കി നീക്കി, ശിവപൂജയാൽ സമ്പത്തോടുകൂടെ പൂജ്യനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• दारिद्र्यम्: poverty
• दारिद्र्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दारिद्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• मरणम्: death
• मरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• दुःखम्: sorrow
• दुःखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ऋणभारम्: burden of debt
• ऋणभारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋण + भार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘ऋणस्य भारः’

• नगोपमम्: mountain-like (huge)
• नगोपमम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नग + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुषः ‘नग इव उपमम्’ (mountain-like)

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• विधूय: having shaken off/removed
• विधूय: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘विधूय’ = वि-धू + क्त्वा; अव्ययभाव

• संपद्भिः: with prosperities/wealth
• संपद्भिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• पूज्यते: is honored/worshipped
• पूज्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• शिवपूजनात्: because of worship of Śiva
• शिवपूजनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव + पूजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘शिवस्य पूजनम्’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice; not explicit in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A debtor weighed down by a mountain-like ledger/stone is shown offering Śiva-pūjā; the burden cracks and falls away; prosperity symbols (grain, coins, cloth) appear, and community members honor him.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Debt (ṛṇa)
• Prosperity (saṃpad)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva devotion is praised as both spiritually and materially transformative—dispelling hardship and granting honor and well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned; the verse focuses on the fruits of śiva-pūjā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pūjana (worship of Śiva), in the pradoṣa-māhātmya context.