Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

कञ्चिद्दधासि नित्यं त्वं मुखं कुंकुमरंजितम् । शिरः पुष्पसमाकीर्णं नेत्रे कज्जलरंजिते

Transliteration

kañciddadhāsi nityaṃ tvaṃ mukhaṃ kuṃkumaraṃjitam | śiraḥ puṣpasamākīrṇaṃ netre kajjalaraṃjite

Translation

เจ้ามักประดับพักตร์ให้แดงด้วยกุมกุมะเสมอ; ศีรษะของเจ้าพร่างพรายด้วยดอกไม้ และดวงเนตรทั้งสองแต้มด้วยกัชฌละให้ดำขลับ

Word by Word

• कञ्चित्: perhaps; whether
• कञ्चित्: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कञ्चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-निपात (interrogative particle, ‘perhaps/whether’)

• दधासि: you wear/put on
• दधासि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन प्रयोगः; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, एकवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative)

• मुखम्: face
• मुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• कुंकुमरंजितम्: reddened with saffron/vermilion
• कुंकुमरंजितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुंकुम (प्रातिपदिक) + रञ्ज् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘रञ्जित’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः/उपपद-समासः: ‘कुंकुमेन रञ्जितम्’

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• पुष्पसमाकीर्णम्: strewn with flowers
• पुष्पसमाकीर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्-आ-कीर्ण (कृदन्त; √कॄ/कीर्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) ‘समाकीर्ण’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थः: ‘पुष्पैः समाकीर्णम्’

• नेत्रे: (your) two eyes
• नेत्रे: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्विवचन; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative) (also form-identical to nominative/vocative)

• कज्जलरंजिते: darkened with collyrium
• कज्जलरंजिते: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कज्जल (प्रातिपदिक) + रञ्ज् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) ‘रञ्जित’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्विवचन, द्वितीया-विभक्ति; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थः: ‘कज्जलेन रञ्जिते’

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narration within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up poetic portrait: vermilion-tinted face, flower-strewn hair, kohl-darkened eyes—an archetypal courtesan/heroine depiction in a pilgrimage town.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship is expressed not only by vows and doctrine but also by reverent presentation—traditional adornments signify loving attention to the sacred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the exact tīrtha name is not stated in this single śloka excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit injunction is given; the verse depicts customary pūjā-adornments: kuṅkuma on the face/forehead, flowers on the head, and kajjala for the eyes.