Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

धूपं नखसमुद्भूतं प्राशनं क्षीरमेव च । आश्विने कमलैः पूजा नैवेद्ये घृतपूरिका

Transliteration

dhūpaṃ nakhasamudbhūtaṃ prāśanaṃ kṣīrameva ca | āśvine kamalaiḥ pūjā naivedye ghṛtapūrikā

Translation

ധൂപമായി നഖത്തിൽ നിന്നുദ്ഭവിച്ച സുഗന്ധദ്രവ്യം അർപ്പിക്കുകയും, പ്രാശനമായി ക്ഷീരമേ (പാൽ) സ്വീകരിക്കുകയും വേണം. ആശ്വിനമാസത്തിൽ താമരകളാൽ പൂജ ചെയ്ത്, നൈവേദ്യമായി ഘൃതപൂരിക സമർപ്പിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• धूपम्: incense
• धूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• नख-समुद्भूतम्: arisen from nails
• नख-समुद्भूतम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नख (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भूत (कृदन्त; सम्+उद्+√भू धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विशेषण (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; past participle used adjectivally)

• प्राशनम्: ingestion; something to be eaten
• प्राशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• क्षीरम्: milk
• क्षीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

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

• आश्विने: in the month of Āśvina
• आश्विने: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्विन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative Singular; ‘in Āśvina month’)

• कमलैः: with lotuses
• कमलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Instrumental Plural)

• पूजा: worship
• पूजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nom., Singular)

• नैवेद्ये: in/for the food-offering
• नैवेद्ये: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैवेद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative Singular; ‘as offering/for naivedya’)

• घृत-पूरिका: ghee-filled cake (pūrīka)
• घृत-पूरिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक) + पूरिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nom., Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from didactic sequence)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal devotee’s Sūrya-pūjā in Āśvina: lotus-filled vessels, a small altar with a radiant solar emblem, incense smoke curling, milk offered for prāśana, and ghṛtapūrikā placed as naivedya.

Characters & Entities

• Āśvina
• Kamala (lotus)
• Kṣīra
• Ghṛtapūrikā
• Dhūpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa teaches ordered devotion: each month’s worship is beautified by specific flowers, offerings, and purificatory intake.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse continues the month-by-month observance within a Tīrtha-māhātmya chapter and does not specify a named tīrtha here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use the specified nakha-derived incense, take milk as prāśana; in Āśvina worship with lotuses and offer ghṛtapūrikā as naivedya.