Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा तस्याग्रतः संस्थां गन्धपुष्पैश्च पूजिताम् । वासुदेवात्मिकां मूर्तिं चतुर्हस्तां द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā tasyāgrataḥ saṃsthāṃ gandhapuṣpaiśca pūjitām | vāsudevātmikāṃ mūrtiṃ caturhastāṃ dvijottamāḥ

Translation

โอ้พราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐ พวกเขาเห็นเบื้องหน้าเป็นพระรูปอันเป็นวาสุเทวะ มีสี่กร ประดับการบูชาด้วยเครื่องหอมและดอกไม้

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive); पूर्वकालिक (having seen)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अग्रतः: in front
• अग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक (in front of)

• संस्थाम्: a form/established presence
• संस्थाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गन्धपुष्पैः: with perfumes and flowers
• गन्धपुष्पैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (gandha and flowers)

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

• पूजिताम्: worshipped/honoured
• पूजिताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + क्त (PPP)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (PPP)

• वासुदेवात्मिकाम्: of the nature of Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवात्मिकाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + इक (तद्धित)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (वासुदेव-आत्मिका = of the nature of Vāsudeva)

• मूर्तिम्: form/image
• मूर्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया, एकवचन

• चतुर्हस्ताम्: four-armed
• चतुर्हस्ताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु/तत्पुरुष-स्वरूप (चत्वारः हस्ताः यस्याः = four-armed)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: the best Brahmins
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्विजानाम् उत्तमाः = best of Brahmins)

Speaker

Narrator (addressing ‘dvijottamāḥ’; specific speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijoत्तमāḥ (addressed audience: best of brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a dim cave, a radiant four-armed Vāsudeva mūrti stands or sits on a small pedestal, adorned with flowers; incense fragrance seems visible as curling smoke; devotees behold the image in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• vaiṣṇavī mūrti (image)
• gandha
• puṣpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship (pūjā) with simple offerings like flowers and fragrance establishes divine presence and becomes a shield for the devotee.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The installed image and worship occur within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra setting of Adhyāya 231.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā with gandha (fragrance) and puṣpa (flowers) to a Vāsudeva (Vaiṣṇava) image is described.