Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

तुलसीसेचनं दुग्धै श्चातुर्मास्येऽतिदुर्लभम् । तुलसीं वर्द्धयेद्यस्तु मानवो यदि श्रद्धया

Transliteration

tulasīsecanaṃ dugdhai ścāturmāsye'tidurlabham | tulasīṃ varddhayedyastu mānavo yadi śraddhayā

Translation

مقدس چاتُرمَاس کے زمانے میں دودھ سے تلسی کو سیراب کرنا نہایت نایاب (اور اسی لیے بہت پُنّیہ بخش) ہے۔ جو انسان شردھا کے ساتھ تلسی کی پرورش اور افزائش کرے—وہ خاص روحانی پھل پاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• तुलसी-सेचनम्: watering of tulasī
• तुलसी-सेचनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी (प्रातिपदिक) + सेचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तुलस्याः सेचनम्) = watering of tulasī; कर्ता/विषय

• दुग्धैः: with milk
• दुग्धैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुग्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; करण (with milk)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• अति-दुर्लभम्: very rare
• अति-दुर्लभम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय-उपसर्गवत्) + दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अत्यन्तं दुर्लभम्) = very rare; ‘तुलसीसेचनम्’ विशेषण

• तुलसीम्: Tulasī
• तुलसीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• वर्द्धयेत्: should make grow/increase
• वर्द्धयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृध् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense not marked; ‘cause to grow/increase’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) = but/indeed

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता (यः मानवः)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तबोधक-अव्यय (conditional)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; करण/हेतु (with faith)

Speaker

Deductive: Narrator within Brahma–Nārada-saṃvāda (Brahmā speaking to Nārada) in the Paijavana-upākhyāna context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāturmāsya Tulasī-sevā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In monsoon-season Cāturmāsya, a devotee gently pours a small stream of milk (or milk-mixed water) at the base of a thriving Tulasī plant, with lamps and incense nearby, emphasizing rarity and devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Tulasī
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful service to Tulasī—especially in Cāturmāsya—is presented as a rare, high-merit devotional act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, though this verse focuses on the Tulasī vow rather than a single bathing-place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Watering (secanam) Tulasī with milk during the Cāturmāsya period, performed with śraddhā.