Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

ततो मेध्ये शिलापृष्ठे तां निवेश्य प्रयत्नतः । पूजयामास सद्भक्त्या धूपमाल्पानुलेपनैः

Transliteration

tato medhye śilāpṛṣṭhe tāṃ niveśya prayatnataḥ | pūjayāmāsa sadbhaktyā dhūpamālpānulepanaiḥ

Translation

پھر اُس نے پاکیزہ پتھر کی سطح پر اُسے نہایت احتیاط سے بٹھا کر، سچی بھکتی کے ساتھ دھوپ اور سادہ لیپ چڑھا کر پوجا کی۔

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘ततः’ = तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम् (thereafter/from there)

• medhye: on the pure/holy (place)
• medhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: medhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (locative singular, qualifying place)

• śilā-pṛṣṭhe: on the surface of a stone slab
• śilā-pṛṣṭhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शिलायाः पृष्ठम्) — locative singular

• tām: her/that (goddess/image)
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (object pronoun)

• niveśya: having placed/installed
• niveśya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-viś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘निवेश्य’ = स्थापयित्वा/प्रवेशयित्वा (having placed/installed)

• prayatnataḥ: carefully/with effort
• prayatnataḥ: Kriya-vishesana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त) — ‘प्रयत्नतः’ = प्रयत्नेन/यत्नात् (with effort, carefully)

• pūjayāmāsa: worshipped
• pūjayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद, परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘पूजयामास’ = पूजयति स्म/अपूजयत् (he worshipped)

• sad-bhaktyā: with true devotion
• sad-bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सद्भक्तिः = उत्तमा भक्तिः) — instrumental singular

• dhūpam: incense
• dhūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; पूजोपकरणम् (incense as offering)

• alpānulepanaiḥ: with small/limited unguents/anointments
• alpānulepanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: alpa (प्रातिपदिक) + anulepana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (अल्पानि अनुलेपनानि) — instrumental plural

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in a māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king reverently places the goddess (icon/yantra/stone representation) upon a clean stone slab and performs worship with incense and modest unguents in a quiet tīrtha precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāratī (Sarasvatī)
• Śilā (stone base)
• Dhūpa (incense)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincerity matters more than lavish materials; simple offerings given with devotion bear great merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha setting by the river where Sarasvatī/Bhāratī is worshipped; the emphasis is on tīrtha-based devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Installing the image on a purified stone and offering dhūpa (incense) and anulepana (unguent/anointing).