Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

तर्पितं तेन विश्वं स्यात्सुधया पितृभिः समम् । पुष्पैरभ्यर्चयेल्लिंगं यथाकालोद्भवैश्चयः

Transliteration

tarpitaṃ tena viśvaṃ syātsudhayā pitṛbhiḥ samam | puṣpairabhyarcayelliṃgaṃ yathākālodbhavaiścayaḥ

Translation

അവനാൽ പിതൃകളോടുകൂടിയ സമസ്ത വിശ്വവും അമൃതസമാനമായ തർപ്പണത്താൽ തൃപ്തമാകുന്നു. യഥാകാലത്തിൽ ഉദിക്കുന്ന പുഷ്പങ്ങളാൽ ലിംഗത്തെ അഭ്യർചിക്കുന്നവൻ യഥോചിതമായ ആരാധന നിർവഹിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तर्पितम्: satisfied
• तर्पितम्: Modifier (Predicate/qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृप् (धातु) + णिच् (तर्पय) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विश्वम्-विशेषणम्

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विश्वम्: the universe
• विश्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be; may become
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सुधया: with nectar
• सुधया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुधा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पितृभिः: with the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितृभिः: Sahakari (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• समम्: together; equally
• समम्: Modifier (Comparison/समता)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तुल्यार्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable: equally/together)

• पुष्पैः: with flowers
• पुष्पैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अभ्यर्चयेत्: should worship (offer reverence)
• अभ्यर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि+अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यथाकालोद्भवैः: with seasonally produced (flowers)
• यथाकालोद्भवैः: Modifier (Adjective to instrument/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + काल (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुवचन-तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), नपुंसक/पुं; समासः—अव्ययीभावः (यथाकालम् उद्भवाः = seasonally arisen); पुष्पैः-विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Connector (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa Sūta (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas/Ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After abhiṣeka, the devotee offers seasonal blossoms to the liṅga; in a subtle visionary layer, Pitṛs receive satisfaction alongside the living world—trees, animals, and devas appearing calm and nourished.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Śiva-liṅga
• Puṣpa (flowers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proper, timely offerings to Śiva harmonize cosmic welfare and ancestral satisfaction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is cited; the passage presents a general dharma of liṅga-pūjā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worshipping the Śiva-liṅga with seasonally appropriate flowers (yathākālodbhava-puṣpa).