Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

नैवेद्ये घृतपूपांश्च दद्याद्देव्याः प्रभक्तितः । ग्रंथिचूर्णेन धूपं च ह्यर्घ्यं मदनजं फलम् । तदेव प्राशनं कार्यमर्घ्यमंत्रमिदं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

naivedye ghṛtapūpāṃśca dadyāddevyāḥ prabhaktitaḥ | graṃthicūrṇena dhūpaṃ ca hyarghyaṃ madanajaṃ phalam | tadeva prāśanaṃ kāryamarghyamaṃtramidaṃ smṛtam

Translation

ഗാഢഭക്തിയോടെ ദേവിക്കു നൈവേദ്യമായി നെയ്യിൽ ചെയ്ത പൂപ്പങ്ങൾ അർപ്പിക്കണം. സുഗന്ധമുള്ള ഗ്രന്ഥി-ചൂർണത്തിൽ ധൂപം അർപ്പിച്ച്, മദനജ ഫലത്തോടുകൂടി അർഘ്യം സമർപ്പിക്കണം. അതേ പ്രസാദം ഭക്തിയോടെ സ്വീകരിക്കണം; ഇതാണ് അർഘ്യമന്ത്രവിധി എന്നു സ്മൃതം പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• नैवेद्ये: in/for the food-offering (naivedya)
• नैवेद्ये: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैवेद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण (in the offering/naivedya)

• घृतपूपान्: ghee-cakes
• घृतपूपान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत-पूप (प्रातिपदिक; घृत + पूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; (घृतेन युक्ताः पूपाः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• दद्यात्: should give/offer
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देव्याः: to the goddess
• देव्याः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/षष्ठी, एकवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान)

• प्रभक्तितः: with great devotion
• प्रभक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb); ‘भक्त्या’ इत्यर्थे

• ग्रन्थिचूर्णेन: with powdered knot-grass/‘granthi’ powder
• ग्रन्थिचूर्णेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रन्थि-चूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक; ग्रन्थि + चूर्ण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण (by means of)

• धूपम्: incense
• धूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipata (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; अवधारण/कारणार्थक (indeed/for)

• अर्घ्यम्: arghya offering (water/oblation)
• अर्घ्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मदनजम्: born of Madana (love-god)
• मदनजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मदन-ज (प्रातिपदिक; मदन + ज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; फलम् इति विशेषण (मदनात् जातम्)

• फलम्: fruit
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘तदेव’ इति अवधारण

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (only/indeed)

• प्राशनम्: eating/partaking
• प्राशनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र-आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कार्यम्: to be done/should be done
• कार्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) → कार्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भविष्यत्कर्मणि/विधेयार्थक कृदन्त (ण्यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (to be done)

• अर्घ्यमन्त्रम्: the arghya-mantra
• अर्घ्यमन्त्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घ्य-मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक; अर्घ्य + मन्त्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (अर्घ्यस्य मन्त्रः)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshya (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्मृतम्: is declared/remembered
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘is said/remembered’

Speaker

Lakṣmī (contextual continuation within the vrata/tīrtha instruction; explicit speaker appears at 63)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night-time Devī pūjā: a devotee offers a platter of golden ghee-cakes, wafts aromatic incense, and lifts a vessel of arghya with a ripe fruit; lamps flicker, attendants sing softly.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Gaurī
• Madana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed through proper offerings becomes sanctified, and even partaking of the consecrated remainder is treated as a dharmic act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context, emphasizing worship connected to a sacred water-setting (tīrtha) rather than naming a single famous city in this snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer ghee-cakes as naivedya, offer fragrant incense powder, present arghya with fruit, and then reverently partake of the consecrated offering.