Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

पंचायतनसंस्थेषु तथा देवेषु पंचसु । विहितं दीपदानं च चातुर्मास्ये महाफलम्

Transliteration

paṃcāyatanasaṃstheṣu tathā deveṣu paṃcasu | vihitaṃ dīpadānaṃ ca cāturmāsye mahāphalam

Translation

പഞ്ചായതനക്രമത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിതമായ ദേവന്മാർക്കോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അഞ്ചു ദേവന്മാർക്കോ—ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ വിധിപൂർവ്വം ചെയ്യുന്ന ദീപദാനം മഹാഫലം നൽകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• पञ्चायतनसंस्थेषु: in the pañcāyatana shrines
• पञ्चायतनसंस्थेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + आयतन + संस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (बहुपद) — ‘पञ्चायतनेषु संस्थाः’/‘पञ्चायतन-सम्बद्धेषु’ (in the five-shrine establishments)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunctive adverb) — ‘तथैव/एवम्’ (likewise)

• देवेषु: among the gods; in the deities
• देवेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन

• पञ्चसु: five
• पञ्चसु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चन् (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (five)

• विहितम्: is prescribed
• विहितम्: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + धा (धातु) → विहित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे—‘विधाय कृतम्/स्थापितम्’ (prescribed/ordained)

• दीपदानम्: offering of a lamp
• दीपदानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीप + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘दीपस्य दानम्’ (gift/offering of a lamp)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (and)

• चातुर्मास्ये: during Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कालाधिकरणे (during the Cāturmāsya period)

• महाफलम्: great in fruit; highly rewarding
• महाफलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘महत् फलम्’ (great in result)

Speaker

Contextual: Brahmā (Brahmā–Nārada Saṃvāda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pañcāyatana altar with five sanctified icons; a devotee lights lamps before each deity during the rainy-season vow, the lamps forming a symmetrical sacred geometry.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcāyatana
• Cāturmāsya
• Dīpa-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma values inclusive, properly ordered worship; lamp-offering in the sacred season yields substantial merit across recognized deity-forms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya setting, presenting pañcāyatana worship as a kṣetra-appropriate practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dīpa-dāna during Cāturmāsya in pañcāyatana shrines / to five deities.