Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

भावभक्तिसमा युक्ता मंत्रसंयोजनेन च । देवी मन्त्रसमायाता त्वया वालुकयाऽर्चिता

Transliteration

bhāvabhaktisamā yuktā maṃtrasaṃyojanena ca | devī mantrasamāyātā tvayā vālukayā'rcitā

Translation

“دل کی بھاؤ بھکتی کے ساتھ اور منتر کے درست اِعمال سے، منتر کے ذریعے حاضر ہونے والی دیوی کی تم نے ریت سے ارچنا کر کے پوجا کی تھی۔”

Word by Word

• भावभक्तिसमा: equal to (true) devotional feeling
• भावभक्तिसमा: Karta (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + samā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (bhāva-bhaktyā samā = equal to devotional feeling)

• युक्ता: joined/connected
• युक्ता: Kriya/State (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yuj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मन्त्रसंयोजनेन: by the joining/application of mantra
• मन्त्रसंयोजनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (mantrasya saṃyojanena)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मन्त्रसमायाता: arrived/manifest through mantra
• मन्त्रसमायाता: Karta (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + samāyāta (प्रातिपदिक; sam+ā+√yā धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP) samāyāta; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (mantraiḥ samāyātā / mantrena samāyātā: mantra-associated/arrived with mantra)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया, एकवचन

• वालुकया: with sand
• वालुकया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vālukā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• अर्चिता: was worshipped
• अर्चिता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arc (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग

Speaker

The sage (muni)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devotee worships a small sand-formed image of the Goddess; mantra syllables depicted as luminous garland entering the sand form, making the deity ‘present’; hands in añjali with offerings of water/flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• mantra
• bhāva-bhakti
• vālukā (sand)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti becomes effective when paired with mantra; sacred presence is ‘invited’ and sustained through both inner feeling and correct invocation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to a tīrtha chapter but does not name the site; it provides the doctrinal basis for place-based worship practices.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (worship) performed with sand, supported by mantra-saṃyojana and bhāva-bhakti.