Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

पूजां यः कुरुते राजंस्तस्य पुण्यफलं शृणु । साग्रं तु योजनशतं तीर्थान्यायतनानि च

Transliteration

pūjāṃ yaḥ kurute rājaṃstasya puṇyaphalaṃ śṛṇu | sāgraṃ tu yojanaśataṃ tīrthānyāyatanāni ca

Translation

ข้าแต่พระราชา โปรดสดับผลบุญอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ของผู้ประกอบบูชาเถิด สำหรับเขา ภายในร้อยโยชน์และยิ่งกว่านั้น บรรดาตีรถะและสถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์ทั้งหลายย่อมเป็นดุจได้ไปเยือนและได้ทัศนะจริงแล้ว

Word by Word

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

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• कुरुते: does, performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (Present, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• पुण्यफलम्: fruit of merit
• पुण्यफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पुण्यस्य फलम्)

• शृणु: hear
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Imperative, 2nd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• साग्रम्: with an excess; more than
• साग्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); अव्ययीभाव (स-अग्रम् = ‘with an excess/over and above’)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/contrast)

• योजनशतम्: a hundred yojanas
• योजनशतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); द्विगु-समास (शतं योजनानाम्)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Plural)

• आयतनानि: abodes, shrines
• आयतनानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Plural)

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

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aṅkūreśvara (contextual, named explicitly in 168.41)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (addressed as rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as a sage proclaims the fruit of worship at a potent tīrtha; in the background, a sacred landscape dotted with shrines appears as if ‘seen’ through the power of pūjā.

Characters & Entities

• Rājan (King)
• Tīrthas
• Āyatanas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere worship at a powerful tīrtha can confer pilgrimage-like merit, as if many holy places were visited.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aṅkūreśvara-tīrtha, whose worship is said to yield expansive tīrtha-darśana merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā (ritual worship) and listening to its promised puṇya-phala.