Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

यो यं काममभिध्याय तं पूजयति मानवः । स तं कृत्स्नमवाप्नोति यद्यपि स्यात्सुदुर्लभम्

Transliteration

yo yaṃ kāmamabhidhyāya taṃ pūjayati mānavaḥ | sa taṃ kṛtsnamavāpnoti yadyapi syātsudurlabham

Translation

മനുഷ്യൻ ഏത് ആഗ്രഹം മനസ്സിൽ ധ്യാനിച്ച് ആ ദേവനെ പൂജിക്കുന്നുവോ, അത് അത്യന്തം ദുർലഭമായാലും അവൻ അതിനെ പൂർണ്ണമായി പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• यम्: which/that (whom/what)
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कामम्: desire/wish
• कामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अभिध्याय: having contemplated
• अभिध्याय: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having meditated upon)

• तम्: him/that (deity)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पूजयति: worships
• पूजयति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तम्: that (desire)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कृत्स्नम्: entire/complete
• कृत्स्नम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with कामम् understood)

• अवाप्नोति: obtains
• अवाप्नोति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-निपात (conditional particle)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); अप्यर्थे (even)

• स्यात्: may be/should be
• स्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सुदुर्लभम्: very difficult to obtain
• सुदुर्लभम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (carried forward from 'Sūta uvāca' in the passage context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣpāditya (shrine/deity)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands before Puṣpāditya, eyes closed in contemplation of a wish, then offers flowers and lamp; behind, symbolic imagery shows the wish materializing despite obstacles.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣpāditya (implicit 'tam')
• kāma (desired aim)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Focused intention joined with devotional worship in a sanctified setting is presented as a powerful, dharma-aligned means to attain even rare goals.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha where Puṣpāditya is worshipped in Adhyāya 155; the exact place-name is not specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditate upon the desired aim and worship the deity (Puṣpāditya) accordingly.