Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

पूज्यते भवने यस्य शालिग्राम शिला शुभा । कोमलैस्तुलसीपत्रैर्विमुखस्तत्र वै यमः

Transliteration

pūjyate bhavane yasya śāligrāma śilā śubhā | komalaistulasīpatrairvimukhastatra vai yamaḥ

Translation

เรือนใดบูชาศิลา ศาลิครามอันเป็นมงคล ด้วยใบตูลสีอ่อนละมุน ยมะย่อมหันหน้าหนีจากที่นั้นโดยแท้

Word by Word

• pūjyate: is worshipped
• pūjyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• bhavane: in the house
• bhavane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• yasya: of whom/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• śāligrāma: Śālagrāma
• śāligrāma: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāligrāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अत्र śilā-विशेषणरूपेण (appositional)

• śilā: stone
• śilā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• śubhā: auspicious
• śubhā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (śilā)

• komalaiḥ: tender/soft
• komalaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: komala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (tulasīpatraiḥ)

• tulasīpatraiḥ: with tulasī leaves
• tulasīpatraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tulasī (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tulasyāḥ patrāṇi)

• vimukhaḥ: turned away/averse
• vimukhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (yamaḥ)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there/in that place)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (indeed)

• yamaḥ: Yama (lord of death)
• yamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Gālava (contextual deduction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śāligrāma (as sacred icon) / Gandakī (as source tīrtha)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene household shrine: a Śāligrāma on a pedestal, tulasī leaves offered by a devotee; at the threshold, Yama with noose turns away, unable to enter, while a soft divine aura fills the room.

Characters & Entities

• Śāligrāma-śilā
• Tulasī
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship of Śāligrāma with tulasī sanctifies the home and signifies divine protection from fearful destinies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse glorifies the sacred object Śāligrāma-śilā (linked to tīrtha traditions), rather than naming a single geographic tīrtha in the line itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship Śāligrāma-śilā in one’s home and offer tulasī leaves.