Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

संस्थाप्य पूजयेद्भक्त्या पुष्पधूपानुलेपनैः । प्राणरुद्राञ्जपन्पश्चाच्छ्रद्धया परया युतः

Transliteration

saṃsthāpya pūjayedbhaktyā puṣpadhūpānulepanaiḥ | prāṇarudrāñjapanpaścācchraddhayā parayā yutaḥ

Translation

അത് വിധിപൂർവ്വം സ്ഥാപിച്ച് ഭക്തിയോടെ പുഷ്പം, ധൂപം, അനുലേപനം മുതലായവകൊണ്ട് പൂജിക്കണം. തുടർന്ന് പരമശ്രദ്ധയോടെ പ്രാണരുദ്രന്മാരുടെ ജപം ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• संस्थाप्य: having installed/established
• संस्थाप्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier of main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), उपसर्गः सम्-, धातुः √स्था (to place/stand) — 'having established'

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम् (Singular), परस्मैपदम् — 'should worship'

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचनम् — 'with devotion'

• पुष्प-धूप-अनुलेपनैः: with flowers, incense, and unguents
• पुष्प-धूप-अनुलेपनैः: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + धूप (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुलेपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचनम् — 'with flowers, incense, and unguents'

• प्राणरुद्रान्: the Prāṇarudras
• प्राणरुद्रान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणरुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचनम् — 'the Prāṇarudras (a set of Rudras)'

• जपन्: chanting/reciting
• जपन्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/participial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम् — 'chanting' (agreeing with implied agent)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb) — 'afterwards'

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचनम् — 'with faith'

• परया: supreme
• परया: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचनम् — विशेषणम् (qualifying श्रद्धया) — 'with supreme (faith)'

• युतः: endowed (with)
• युतः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √युज्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम् — 'endowed/possessed' (of the agent)

Speaker

Narrator (instructional tone within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa devotee completes liṅga-pratiṣṭhā on a clean altar near a tīrtha; he offers flowers, incense smoke curls upward, and applies sandal/unguents; then sits in japa with rosary, eyes lowered in śraddhā.

Characters & Entities

• liṅga (implied)
• Prāṇarudras
• Rudra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti is enacted through orderly worship—installation, offerings, and mantra-japa—performed with unwavering faith.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The rite is situated within the Sarasvatī-tīrtha narrative, presenting the tīrtha as a fit ground for Śaiva worship and japa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Install (saṃsthāpya) the liṅga, worship with flowers/incense/unguents, then chant (japa) the Prāṇarudra invocations with supreme śraddhā.