Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

श्रीभगवानुवाच । शुद्ध्यर्थं चैव यत्कार्यं कार्येस्मिन्नृपसत्तम । विनायकसमुद्भूतां तत्त्वं पूजां समाचर

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca | śuddhyarthaṃ caiva yatkāryaṃ kāryesminnṛpasattama | vināyakasamudbhūtāṃ tattvaṃ pūjāṃ samācara

Translation

ശ്രീഭഗവാൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ നൃപശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! ഈ കര്‍മ്മത്തിന്റെ ശുദ്ധിക്കായി വിനായകതത്ത്വത്തിൽ നിന്നുയർന്ന പൂജയെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം ആചരിക്ക.

Word by Word

• श्रीभगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• श्रीभगवान्: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + भगवान् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् भगवान्)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शुद्ध्यर्थम्: for purification
• शुद्ध्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शुद्धि + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः (उद्देश्य/प्रयोजनार्थे) — ‘शुद्ध्यर्थम्’ = for purification

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चय/अवधारण particle)

• यत्: whatever/that which
• यत्: Visheshana (Correlative/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative) — ‘that which’

• कार्यम्: the act to be done
• कार्यम्: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘to be done/duty’

• कार्ये: in this undertaking
• कार्ये: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘in this’ (कार्ये इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नृपाणां सत्तमः)

• विनायकसमुद्भूताम्: arisen from Vināyaka
• विनायकसमुद्भूताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनायक + समुद्भूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पञ्चमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः (विनायकात्/विनायकस्य समुद्भूता)

• तत्त्वम्: the principle/true nature
• तत्त्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूजाम्: worship
• पूजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समाचर: perform
• समाचर: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ√चर् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śrī Bhagavān

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpasattama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine speaker (Bhagavān) instructs a king on performing Vināyaka worship as a purificatory step; Gaṇeśa icon or yantra implied beside ritual vessels.

Characters & Entities

• Vināyaka
• Gaṇeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Begin sacred and worldly undertakings with inner and outer purification through Vināyaka-centered worship, aligning action with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Tīrthamāhātmya context of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa; the snippet itself emphasizes rite-order (Vināyaka pūjā) rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directive to perform Vināyaka-tattva pūjā (Gaṇeśa worship as a purificatory preliminary rite).