Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

क्षेत्रेशमीशकोणे तु यजेद्वास्तोष्पतिं क्रमात् । वाग्देवीं च यजेत्तत्र ततः कात्यायनीं यजेत्

Transliteration

kṣetreśamīśakoṇe tu yajedvāstoṣpatiṃ kramāt | vāgdevīṃ ca yajettatra tataḥ kātyāyanīṃ yajet

Translation

ഈശാന കോണിൽ ക്ഷേത്രേശനെ പൂജിക്കണം; തുടർന്ന് ക്രമമായി വാസ്തുവിന്റെ അധിപതിയെ പൂജിക്കണം. അവിടെ വാഗ്ദേവിയെയും പൂജിച്ച് പിന്നെ കാത്യായനിയെയും പൂജിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• क्षेत्रेशम्: Kṣetreśa (lord of the field/guardian deity)
• क्षेत्रेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्रेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ईश-कोणे: in the Īśa corner (northeast)
• ईश-कोणे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक) + कोण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरणम्

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक (but/indeed)

• यजेत्: should worship
• यजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• वास्तोः-पतिम्: Vāstoṣpati (lord of the dwelling)
• वास्तोः-पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वास्तु (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• क्रमात्: in due order, sequentially
• क्रमात्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययभावे तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb); क्रियाविशेषण

• वाक्-देवीम्: Vāgdevī (goddess of speech)
• वाक्-देवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक् (प्रातिपदिक) + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• यजेत्: should worship
• यजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Sequence/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरवाचक (thereafter)

• कात्यायनीम्: Kātyāyanī
• कात्यायनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कात्यायनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यजेत्: should worship
• यजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Narratorial/Instructional voice (ritual injunction within the text)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra (ritual field, generalized)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A maṇḍala with marked corners; in the northeast corner a small shrine to Kṣetreśa; nearby offerings to Vāstupati; Vāgdevī (Sarasvatī-like) invoked with a veena; Kātyāyanī appears as a radiant warrior-goddess blessing the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣetreśa
• Vāstoṣpati
• Vāgdevī
• Kātyāyanī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred worship honors both the deity and the sanctified space—guardians of the kṣetra and the vāstu are propitiated with due order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse teaches spatial ritual placement (Īśāna-koṇa) applicable to many shrines.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Directional/mandala worship: in the Īśāna corner worship Kṣetreśa, then Vāstoṣpati, then Vāgdevī, then Kātyāyanī.