Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

अर्कपुष्पेऽपि चैकस्मिञ्छिवाय विनिवेदिते । दश दत्त्वा सुवर्णानि यत्फलं तदवाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

arkapuṣpe'pi caikasmiñchivāya vinivedite | daśa dattvā suvarṇāni yatphalaṃ tadavāpnuyāt

Translation

แม้เพียงถวายดอกอรกะดอกเดียวแด่พระศิวะ ก็ย่อมได้ผลเท่ากับการถวายทองคำสิบชิ้น

Word by Word

• अर्कपुष्पे: in/with an arka-flower
• अर्कपुष्पे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (Locative singular)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle); अप्यर्थे ‘even/also’

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• एकस्मिन्: in one (single)
• एकस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (Locative singular); विशेषणम्—‘अर्कपुष्पे’

• शिवाय: to Śiva
• शिवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी-एकवचनम् (Dative singular)

• विनिवेदिते: when (it is) offered/presented
• विनिवेदिते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-√विद्/√वेद् (धातु; ‘to offer/submit’) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्तं कृदन्तम्; सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (Locative singular) — ‘(अर्कपुष्पे) विनिवेदिते’ = ‘when offered’

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन्/दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; ‘सुवर्णानि’ इति विशेषणम् (ten)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verbal action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु) + त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (Gerund): ‘having given’

• सुवर्णानि: gold pieces
• सुवर्णानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-बहुवचनम् (Accusative plural)

• यत्फलम्: whatever fruit/result
• यत्फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Nom./Acc. sg.); ‘यत्…तत्…’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Accusative singular); ‘यत्फलम्’ इत्यस्य प्रत्यनुयोगी

• अवाप्नुयात्: would obtain
• अवाप्नुयात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-√आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Śiva (as Somnātha), within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra praise context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sureśvarī (Indrāṇī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up devotional act: a hand places a single arka flower on the dark stone liṅga; the flower glows, and ten gold pieces appear as a faint symbolic echo dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Arka flower (Calotropis)
• Suvarṇa (gold)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right offering with devotion is valued beyond material magnitude; even one flower can carry great merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somnātha at Prabhāsakṣetra, where flower-offerings are praised as exceptionally fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vinivedana/arpana of a single arka flower to Śiva, compared to donating ten gold pieces.