Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

समित्पुष्पकुशप्रायैः साधनैर्यद्यचेतनैः । क्रियते तत्तथा भावि कार्यं कारणवन्नृणाम्

Transliteration

samitpuṣpakuśaprāyaiḥ sādhanairyadyacetanaiḥ | kriyate tattathā bhāvi kāryaṃ kāraṇavannṛṇām

Translation

اگر عمل محض سَمِدھا، پھول اور کُش گھاس جیسے بے شعور سامان سے کیا جائے، تو انسانوں کے لیے اس کا پھل بھی ویسا ہی پیدا ہوگا—جیسے سبب پر قائم نتیجہ۔

Word by Word

• समित्पुष्पकुशप्रायैः: with things mostly (like) fuel-sticks, flowers, and kuśa grass
• समित्पुष्पकुशप्रायैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समित् (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + कुश (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — ‘समित्-पुष्प-कुशैः प्रायाः’ (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष; ‘mostly consisting of fuel-sticks, flowers, kuśa’)

• साधनैः: by means/instruments
• साधनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Clause linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• अचेतनैः: by insentient (things)
• अचेतनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अचेतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• क्रियते: is performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive) — ‘is done’

• तत्: that (result)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तथा: thus/in that way
• तथा: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रिया-विशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• भावि: forthcoming / that will occur
• भावि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भू (धातु) → भाविन्/भावि (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भविष्यदर्थक विशेषण (future-oriented adjective), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘to be, forthcoming’

• कार्यम्: effect / result
• कार्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कारणवत्: having a cause
• कारणवत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कारणवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘having a cause’

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

Speaker

Unspecified narrator in dialogue (continuing philosophical critique)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teaching scene where ritual items—samidha, flowers, kuśa—are shown as lifeless objects, while a luminous mind/heart motif indicates the true driver of results.

Characters & Entities

• kuśa
• samit
• puṣpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Results mirror causes: when worship is reduced to insentient materials, the outcome too becomes limited; inner consciousness is essential.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse is a general principle about ritual causality rather than a place-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references common ritual implements (samit, flowers, kuśa) and implies that ritual should not be merely material or mechanical.