Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

यः शुचिश्च शिवं ध्यायन्प्रासादकूपकर्तरि । जलप्रतिग्रहाभावात्पिबतोऽस्य समं फलम्

Transliteration

yaḥ śuciśca śivaṃ dhyāyanprāsādakūpakartari | jalapratigrahābhāvātpibato'sya samaṃ phalam

Translation

ശുദ്ധചിത്തനായി ശിവനെ ധ്യാനിച്ചുകൊണ്ട്, പ്രാസാദവും കിണറും നിർമ്മിച്ചവന്റെ കിണറ്റിലെ ജലം കുടിക്കുന്നവൻ—ജലത്തിൽ ‘പ്രതിഗ്രഹം’ (ദാനം സ്വീകരിക്കൽ) ഇല്ലാത്തതിനാൽ—അവനു നിർമ്മാതാവിനോടു സമമായ ഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

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

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ध्यायन्: meditating (on)
• ध्यायन्: Karta (Agent, concomitant action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रासाद-कूप-कर्तरि: in/with regard to the builder of the palace-well
• प्रासाद-कूप-कर्तरि: Adhikarana (Location/Reference)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः (प्रासादस्य कूपस्य कर्तरि)

• जल-प्रतिग्रह-अभावात्: because of the absence of accepting water (as a gift)
• जल-प्रतिग्रह-अभावात्: Hetu (Cause/Reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रतिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक) + अभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ

• पिबतः: of (him) drinking
• पिबतः: Shashthi-sambandha (Of the drinker)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• अस्य: of him/this person
• अस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Of him)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (क्रियाविशेषण), समत्वे

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta/Karma (Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative voice to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prāsāda-kūpa (temple well)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clean pilgrim drinks from a temple well, hands cupped, eyes softened in Śiva-meditation; nearby stands a Śiva-prāsāda and the well’s builder/donor is symbolically present through a dedicatory plaque or offering.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service to the public through Śaiva works (temple and well) spreads merit widely; even beneficiaries gain spiritual fruit when aligned with Śiva-remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse praises Śaiva public works as a universal dharma within the Purāṇic framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-dhyāna (meditation on Śiva) while using a publicly dedicated well; emphasis on water being offered without transactional ‘gift-acceptance’.