Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

तवोपहारं भक्त्याय सेवते यजपूरुष । सेवितस्तेन नियतं पुरोडाशो महाधिया

Transliteration

tavopahāraṃ bhaktyāya sevate yajapūruṣa | sevitastena niyataṃ puroḍāśo mahādhiyā

Translation

ഹേ യജ്ഞപുരുഷാ! ഭക്തിയോടെ നിന്റെ ഉപഹാര-ഹവിഷ്യത്തെ സേവിച്ച് അർപ്പിക്കുന്നവന്റെ മഹാധിയാൽ പുരോഡാശം നിശ്ചയമായും വിധിപൂർവ്വം സേവിതമാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• उपहारम्: offering, gift
• उपहारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• भक्त्याय: for devotion
• भक्त्याय: Sampradana (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• सेवते: serves, attends
• सेवते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• यजपूरुष: O sacrificial Person (Lord of sacrifice)
• यजपूरुष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज् (धातु) + पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सेवितः: served
• सेवितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• नियतं: certainly, invariably
• नियतं: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नियत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb)

• पुरोडाशः: puroḍāśa (sacrificial cake)
• पुरोडाशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरोडाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• महाधिया: with great understanding
• महाधिया: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाधी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī offers puroḍāśa/naivedya with folded hands before a symbolic Yajña-Puruṣa presence—fire-altar glow blending into a Viṣṇu-like divine form, emphasizing intention and service.

Characters & Entities

• Yajña-Puruṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual offerings gain their true efficacy through devotion and right intention, addressed to the divine as Yajña-Puruṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific Kāśī location is named in this verse; it emphasizes the devotional principle behind worship and offering.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upahāra-sevā: offering oblations/devotional service, with mention of puroḍāśa (a sacrificial offering).