Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

चैत्रे मासि तु संप्राप्ते सुरभ्या पूज्येद्धरिम् । नैवेद्यं गुणिकाः प्रोक्ता धूपं सर्जरसोद्भवम्

Transliteration

caitre māsi tu saṃprāpte surabhyā pūjyeddharim | naivedyaṃ guṇikāḥ proktā dhūpaṃ sarjarasodbhavam

Translation

ଚୈତ୍ର ମାସ ଆସିଲେ ସୁରଭି ଗାଈର ସୁଗନ୍ଧିତ ଉପଚାରରେ ହରିଙ୍କୁ ପୂଜିବା ଉଚିତ। ନୈବେଦ୍ୟ ଭାବେ ଗୁଣିକା (ମିଠା ପିଠା) କୁହାଯାଇଛି, ଧୂପ ହେଉଛି ସର୍ଜ ବୃକ୍ଷର ରସଜନିତ।

Word by Word

• caitre: in (the month of) Caitra
• caitre: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — ‘in Caitra (month)’ (मास-विशेषण)

• māsi: in the month
• māsi: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — ‘in the month’

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/विशेष-निपात) — ‘but/indeed’

• saṃprāpte: when it has arrived
• saṃprāpte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam√prāp (धातु) + ta (क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — ‘when (it) has arrived’ (with māsi)

• surabhyā: with surabhī (fragrant offering)
• surabhyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: surabhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — ‘with surabhī (fragrant substance/flower)’ (करण)

• pūjyet: should worship
• pūjyet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘should worship’

• harim: Hari
• harim: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘Hari (Viṣṇu)’

• naivedyam: food offering
• naivedyam: Karta (Topic/subject of listing/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — here as topic/predicate item: ‘food offering’

• guṇikāḥ: guṇikā sweets
• guṇikāḥ: Karta (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — ‘guṇikā-cakes/sweets’

• proktāḥ: are declared
• proktāḥ: Kriya (Predicative statement/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√vac (धातु) + ta (क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त used predicatively, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘are said’ (agreeing with guṇikāḥ)

• dhūpam: incense
• dhūpam: Karta (Topic/subject of listing/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘incense’ (as item specified)

• sarja-rasa-udbhavam: made from sarja resin
• sarja-rasa-udbhavam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarja (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘arising from sarja-resin’ (dhūpa-विशेषण)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya didactic style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Caitra worship of Hari: a devotee presents sweet guṇikā cakes; fragrant resin incense burns; a gentle cow stands nearby as a symbol of surabhī-derived sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Caitra
• Surabhī
• Śarja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (māsa) is honored through specific offerings, aligning devotion with seasonal and ritual order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate focus is on month-based ritual procedure; the broader chapter belongs to a Tīrtha-māhātmya setting without naming a site in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

In Caitra, worship Hari; offer guṇikā as naivedya and use incense made from śarja resin.