Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

शुक्लांबरधरो धीरो वाग्यतो नियमान्वितः । कृतसंध्याजपविधिः शिवपूजां समारभेत्

Transliteration

śuklāṃbaradharo dhīro vāgyato niyamānvitaḥ | kṛtasaṃdhyājapavidhiḥ śivapūjāṃ samārabhet

Translation

ശ്വേതവസ്ത്രം ധരിച്ചു, ധീരനായി വാക്ക്‌സംയമത്തോടെ നിയമാചാരസമ്പന്നനായി, സന്ധ്യാവന്ദനവും ജപവിധിയും യഥാവിധി പൂർത്തിയാക്കി ശിവപൂജ ആരംഭിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• śukla-ambara-dharaḥ: wearing white garments
• śukla-ambara-dharaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, √dhṛ धारणे)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुषभावः: शुक्लम् अम्बरम् यस्य सः/शुक्लाम्बरं धारयति इति)

• dhīraḥ: steadfast, composed
• dhīraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vāk-yataḥ: restrained in speech
• vāk-yataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक) + yata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, √yam यमे/नियमे, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: वाचि यतः = वाणी-नियन्त्रितः)

• niyama-anvitaḥ: endowed with observances
• niyama-anvitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, √i इ गतौ + anu-, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तृतीया/सह-भाव: नियमैः अन्वितः)

• kṛta-saṃdhyā-japa-vidhiḥ: having performed the prescribed sandhyā-japa rite
• kṛta-saṃdhyā-japa-vidhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त, √kṛ करणे, क्त) + saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक) + japa (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: संध्याजपस्य विधिः; कृतः संध्याजपविधिः यस्य सः)

• śiva-pūjām: Śiva-worship
• śiva-pūjām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: शिवस्य पूजा)

• samārabhet: should begin
• samārabhet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √rabh (रभ् आरम्भे) + sam-
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Śāṇḍilya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm devotee in white garments, seated near a Śiva-liṅga, having finished sandhyā; hands poised to begin pūjā, atmosphere of quiet discipline.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Sandhyā
• Japa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer purity and inner restraint together make worship effective—discipline is itself a form of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is mentioned; the guidance is a general Śaiva pūjā standard.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Wear white, restrain speech, follow niyamas, complete Sandhyā and japa, then begin Śiva-pūjā.