Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

ओंवनस्पतिरसो दिव्यो गंधाढ्यो गंध उत्तमः । आहारः सर्वदेवानां धूपोऽयं प्रतिगृह्यताम्

Transliteration

oṃvanaspatiraso divyo gaṃdhāḍhyo gaṃdha uttamaḥ | āhāraḥ sarvadevānāṃ dhūpo'yaṃ pratigṛhyatām

Translation

اوم۔ یہ دھوپ جنگل کے درختوں کا دیویہ رس ہے، خوشبو سے بھرپور اور نہایت اعلیٰ عطر؛ یہ سب دیوتاؤں کی غذا ہے۔ یہ دھوپ قبول فرمائیے۔

Word by Word

• ओम्: Om
• ओम्: Sambandha (Invocation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: oṃ (अव्यय/प्रणव)
• Form: प्रणव-निपात (sacred syllable), अव्यय

• वनस्पति-रसः: the essence/sap of plants
• वनस्पति-रसः: Karta (Subject/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vanaspati (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वनस्पतेः रसः = sap/essence of a tree)

• दिव्यः: divine
• दिव्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying वनस्पति-रसः)

• गन्धाढ्यः: abounding in fragrance
• गन्धाढ्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (गन्धेन आढ्यः = rich in fragrance)

• गन्धः: fragrance
• गन्धः: Karta (Subject/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-विशेष्य (appositional)

• उत्तमः: excellent
• उत्तमः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (गन्धः)

• आहारः: food/oblation
• आहारः: Karta (Subject/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सर्वदेवानाम्: of all the gods
• सर्वदेवानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (सर्वे देवाः)

• धूपः: incense
• धूपः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshana (Demonstrative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रतिगृह्यताम्: may it be accepted
• प्रतिगृह्यताम्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati + grah (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/benedictive usage), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; आज्ञार्थे—‘स्वीकृत्यताम्’ (let it be accepted)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Incense smoke rises in curling streams from a censer; the devotee recites ‘oṃ vanaspati-raso divyaḥ…’ as the fragrance fills the sanctum, suggesting the forest’s essence offered to the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Sarva-devāḥ (all gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship sanctifies the senses: fragrance offered as dhūpa becomes a subtle ‘food’ of devotion for the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; it is a mantra for the dhūpa upacāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer incense (dhūpa), described as divine tree-essence, with a mantra requesting acceptance.