Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

चतुर्थ्यां तर्पयेद्भक्त्या गन्धैः पुष्पैः स मोदकैः । यथाभक्त्यनुसारेण तस्य तुष्येद्गणाधिपः

Transliteration

caturthyāṃ tarpayedbhaktyā gandhaiḥ puṣpaiḥ sa modakaiḥ | yathābhaktyanusāreṇa tasya tuṣyedgaṇādhipaḥ

Translation

چَتُرتھی کے دن بھکتی سے خوشبوؤں، پھولوں اور مودکوں کے ساتھ اس کی تسکین کرے؛ جتنی بھکتی ہو، اتنا ہی گنوں کے ادھیپتی راضی ہوتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• caturthyām: on the fourth (lunar day)
• caturthyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturthī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तिथिवाचकः

• tarpayet: one should satisfy/offer libations
• tarpayet: Kriya (Injunctive/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tṛp (धातु; √तृप्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• gandhaiḥ: with fragrances
• gandhaiḥ: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन

• puṣpaiḥ: with flowers
• puṣpaiḥ: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन; अनुक्त-कर्ता (the worshipper)

• modakaiḥ: with modakas (sweet dumplings)
• modakaiḥ: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: modaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन

• yathā: according as
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (according to)

• bhakti: of devotion
• bhakti: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; anusāreṇa इत्यस्य सम्बन्धः

• anusāreṇa: in accordance (with)
• anusāreṇa: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anusāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन; प्रकार/अनुसारार्थे

• tasya: of him; his
• tasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• tuṣyet: may be pleased
• tuṣyet: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tuṣ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• gaṇādhipaḥ: the lord of the gaṇas (Gaṇeśa)
• gaṇādhipaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa-adhipa (प्रातिपदिक; गण + अधिप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jalavāsa Gaṇapati

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee on Caturthī offers sandal paste, flowers, and a plate of modakas to Gaṇapati (Gaṇādhipa), who is shown pleased and benevolent; ritual items arranged neatly in a shrine setting.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gaṇādhipa (Gaṇeśa)
• Caturthī
• Modaka
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual offerings matter, but the decisive factor is bhakti; divine grace responds to the sincerity and depth of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Jalavāsa Gaṇapati shrine/tradition within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On Caturthī, perform tarpaṇa/propitiatory worship of Gaṇeśa with gandha (fragrance), puṣpa (flowers), and modaka (sweet offering).