Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

चतुर्विंशतितत्त्वानि पृथिव्यादीनि यानि च । तेषां नामभिस्तत्पिंडं पूजयेतन्नराधिपः

Transliteration

caturviṃśatitattvāni pṛthivyādīni yāni ca | teṣāṃ nāmabhistatpiṃḍaṃ pūjayetannarādhipaḥ

Translation

ਪ੍ਰਿਥਵੀ ਆਦਿ ਚੌਵੀ ਤੱਤ ਜਿਹੜੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਾਮ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਆਹਵਾਨ ਕਰੇ; ਉਹਨਾਂ ਹੀ ਨਾਮਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਰਾਜਾ ਉਸ ਪਿੰਡ ਦੀ ਪੂਜਾ ਕਰੇ।

Word by Word

• catur-viṃśati-tattvāni: the twenty-four principles
• catur-viṃśati-tattvāni: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśati (प्रातिपदिक) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (चतुर्विंशति = 24) + तत्पुरुषार्थ (24 principles)

• pṛthivī-ādīni: beginning with earth
• pṛthivī-ādīni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (earth etc.)

• yāni: which
• yāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Relative pronoun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• teṣām: of those
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• nāmabhiḥ: by (their) names
• nāmabhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• tat-piṇḍam: that piṇḍa (offering)
• tat-piṇḍam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तत्-पिण्ड = that piṇḍa/oblation)

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (पूज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• nara-adhipaḥ: the king/lord of men
• nara-adhipaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् अधिपः)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (contextual continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king performs piṇḍa-pūjā on a clean altar near a sacred waterbody; the piṇḍa is placed on a leaf/plate, while the officiant gestures as if invoking elemental and inner principles by name.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is tied to conscious, name-by-name reverence for the constituents of embodied existence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; the focus is the internal ritual structure of tattva-pūjā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship the piṇḍa by reciting the names of the twenty-four tattvas (starting with Earth).