Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

तस्य तन्निष्फलं सर्वमित्युक्तं पाल्यमेव मे । तस्मात्प्रपूजयेन्नित्यं वटस्थां वटयक्षिणीम् । पुष्पैर्धूपैस्तु नैवेद्यैर्मंत्रेणानेन भक्तितः

Transliteration

tasya tanniṣphalaṃ sarvamityuktaṃ pālyameva me | tasmātprapūjayennityaṃ vaṭasthāṃ vaṭayakṣiṇīm | puṣpairdhūpaistu naivedyairmaṃtreṇānena bhaktitaḥ

Translation

ତାହା ପାଇଁ ସମସ୍ତ କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ ନିଷ୍ଫଳ ହୁଏ—ଏହିପରି ଘୋଷିତ; ଏବଂ ଏହା ମୋ ଆଜ୍ଞାନୁସାରେ ଅବଶ୍ୟ ପାଳନୀୟ। ତେଣୁ ବଟବୃକ୍ଷରେ ଅଧିଷ୍ଠିତ ବଟୟକ୍ଷିଣୀଙ୍କୁ ନିତ୍ୟ ଭକ୍ତିରେ ପୂଜା କର—ପୁଷ୍ପ, ଧୂପ, ନୈବେଦ୍ୟ ଓ ଏହି ମନ୍ତ୍ର ସହ।

Word by Word

• tasya: of him/its
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular) — सर्वनाम

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — सर्वनाम; विशेषणरूपेण

• niṣphalam: fruitless
• niṣphalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niṣphala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — विशेषण

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (इति)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• uktam: said/declared
• uktam: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु) + kta (क्त) → ukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• pālyam: to be protected/should be maintained
• pālyam: Kriya (Obligation predicate/कर्तव्यता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √pāl (पाल् धातु) + yat (यत्) → pālya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भाव्य/कर्तव्यतार्थक कृदन्त (gerundive); नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• me: my/to me
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/4th), एकवचन — सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभूत-प्रयोग; हेत्वर्थे (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that')

• prapūjayet: should worship
• prapūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √pūj (पूज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• vaṭasthām: dwelling in/at the banyan (tree)
• vaṭasthām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaṭa (वट) + sthā (स्था) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वटे स्था = वटस्थ); स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• vaṭayakṣiṇīm: the banyan-yakṣiṇī (tree-spirit)
• vaṭayakṣiṇīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa (वट) + yakṣiṇī (यक्षिणी) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वटस्य यक्षिणी); स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• puṣpaiḥ: with flowers
• puṣpaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• dhūpaiḥ: with incense
• dhūpaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• tu: and/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (तु)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोध/समुच्चयार्थक निपात (particle)

• naivedyaiḥ: with food-offerings
• naivedyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• maṃtreṇa: with the mantra
• maṃtreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃtra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• anena: with this
• anena: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (इदम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — सर्वनाम; विशेषण

• bhaktitaḥ: devoutly/from devotion
• bhaktitaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) — 'भक्तितः' = भक्त्या/भक्त्या सह

Speaker

Śiva (Hara), quoted within Sūta’s narration

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaṭasthā Vaṭayakṣiṇī (Sunandā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva’s injunction is visualized as a devotee standing before a vast banyan with aerial roots; beneath it sits/stands a luminous yakṣiṇī receiving flowers, incense smoke curling upward, and a small naivedya plate.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṭayakṣiṇī
• Vaṭa (banyan)
• Śiva (Hara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion must align with prescribed sacred protocol; honoring the local divine guardian form safeguards the fruit of one’s worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The banyan-site (vaṭasthā) of Vaṭayakṣiṇī associated with the Siddha-liṅga region is emphasized.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daily pūjā to Vaṭayakṣiṇī with flowers, incense, and naivedya, accompanied by the stated mantra, as a prerequisite for fruitful Śiva worship.