Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ततो राजोपचारेण पूजयेद्विधिवन्नरः । एवं कृते महादेवि मेरुदानफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

tato rājopacāreṇa pūjayedvidhivannaraḥ | evaṃ kṛte mahādevi merudānaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

پھر آدمی کو چاہیے کہ مقررہ ودھی کے مطابق شاہانہ نذرانوں کے ساتھ پوجا کرے۔ اے مہادیوی، ایسا کرنے سے ‘میرو دان’ نامی عظیم دان کے برابر پھل ملتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), क्रमवाचक अव्यय (sequence adverb)

• rāja-upacāreṇa: with royal offerings/attendants (royal mode of worship)
• rāja-upacāreṇa: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + upacāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• vidhivat: according to rule; duly
• vidhivat: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• naraḥ: a man; person
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• evam: thus; in this way
• evam: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

• kṛte: when (this) is done
• kṛte: Adhikarana (Circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त (past participle); लोकेटिव्-अब्सोल्यूट् (locative absolute)

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādevī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• meru-dāna-phalam: the fruit of the Meru-gift (Merudāna)
• meru-dāna-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratneśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After abhiṣeka, the shrine becomes regal: silk cloth, garlands, gold ornaments, parasol and fly-whisks; the worshipper performs vidhivat pūjā before Ratneśvara, while a Meru-shaped golden donation motif is symbolically shown.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī
• Meru-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proper, reverent worship performed according to dharma yields extraordinary merit, equated here with the famed Meru-dāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, specifically the worship-context of Ādityeśvara described in this māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (pūjā) performed vidhivat, with rājopacāra—royal-grade offerings and honors.