Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

रुद्राक्षं पूजयेद्यस्तु विना तोयाभिषेचनम् । यत्फलं लिंगपूजायास्तदेवाप्नोति निश्चितम्

Transliteration

rudrākṣaṃ pūjayedyastu vinā toyābhiṣecanam | yatphalaṃ liṃgapūjāyāstadevāpnoti niścitam

Translation

แต่ผู้ใดบูชารุดรाक्षะด้วยศรัทธา แม้มิได้รดน้ำอภิเษก ก็ย่อมได้ผลแน่นอนเท่ากับการบูชาศิวลึงค์

Word by Word

• रुद्राक्षम्: rudrākṣa
• रुद्राक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्राक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्ध-प्रयोगः

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेष-प्रदर्शक-अव्ययम् (particle: but/indeed)

• विना: without
• विना: Exclusion marker (वियोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: वियोगार्थक-अव्ययम् (preposition/adverb: without); सामान्यतः तृतीया/द्वितीया-संबन्धः

• तोयाभिषेचनम्: water-ablution/sprinkling with water
• तोयाभिषेचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिषेचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; (तोयेन अभिषेचनम्) तृतीया-तत्पुरुषसमासः

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Correlative/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्ध-प्रयोगः (relative)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• लिङ्गपूजायाः: of liṅga-worship
• लिङ्गपूजायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; (लिङ्गस्य पूजा) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमासः

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्-यत् समन्वयः (correlative)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्ययम् (particle: only/indeed)

• आप्नोति: obtains
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः, प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• निश्चितम्: certainly
• निश्चितम्: Manner (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: निश्चित (प्रातिपदिक; नि + चि + क्त)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः (adverbial accusative/neuter): ‘certainly’; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-विशेषणस्य अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः

Speaker

Unknown (narrative voice within Brahmottara Khaṇḍa; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/seekers (generic)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small altar with a rudrākṣa placed like a sacred icon; devotee offers flowers and incense, hands folded, while a distant liṅga silhouette suggests equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Rudrākṣa
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion (bhakti) sanctifies the act: rudrākṣa is treated as Śiva-connected and its worship yields liṅga-pūjā merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is specified; the focus is on the equivalence of worship-fruit (phala) in Shaiva practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform rudrākṣa pūjā even without toya-abhiṣeka (water-ablution).