Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

ततो धूपं सुगन्धं च यो यच्छति समाहितः । वसवस्त्वां जेतु तथा मन्त्रमेतमुदीरयेत्

Transliteration

tato dhūpaṃ sugandhaṃ ca yo yacchati samāhitaḥ | vasavastvāṃ jetu tathā mantrametamudīrayet

Translation

അനന്തരം മനസ്സിനെ ഏകാഗ്രമാക്കി സുഗന്ധധൂപം അർപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ ‘വസവസ്ത്വാം ജേതു…’ എന്നു ആരംഭിക്കുന്ന ഈ മന്ത്രവും ഉച്ചരിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे ‘ततः/अनन्तरम्’

• dhūpam: incense
• dhūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन = Masculine Accusative Singular

• sugandham: fragrant
• sugandham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sugandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (dhūpam इति विशेष्यस्य) = Masculine Accusative Singular adjective

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Masculine Nominative Singular pronoun

• yacchati: gives, offers
• yacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन = Present Indicative, 3rd sg

• samāhitaḥ: composed, attentive
• samāhitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-dhā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोगे विशेषणम् (yaḥ इति) = Past participle used adjectivally, Masculine Nom. Sg

• vasavaḥ: the Vasus (deities)
• vasavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन = Masculine Nominative Plural

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम = Accusative Singular pronoun

• jetu: may (they) conquer
• jetu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ji (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ/विधिलिङ्गसदृश), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन = Imperative/benedictive sense, 3rd sg ‘let (him/them) conquer’

• tathā: thus, in this manner
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण = indeclinable adverb ‘thus/so’

• mantram: mantra
• mantram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Masculine Accusative Singular

• etam: this
• etam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (mantram इति) = Masculine Accusative Singular demonstrative adjective

• udīrayet: should utter, should recite
• udīrayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-īr (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन = Optative, 3rd sg

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in a tīrtha-temple precinct offers a smoking censer of fragrant incense before a sanctified arrangement representing the eight Vasus; lips moving in mantra-recitation, posture steady and composed.

Characters & Entities

• Vasu (Aṣṭa-Vasu)
• Dhūpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Focused attention (samādhāna) and reverent offerings are integral to effective worship in a tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, as the ritual setting of this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer fragrant incense (dhūpa) and recite the specified ‘Vasavas tvāṃ jetu…’ mantra.