Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

यश्च पूजयते देवीं स्वल्पेन बहुनापि वा । कात्यायनी कोटिशतैर्वृता तस्य विभूतिदा

Transliteration

yaśca pūjayate devīṃ svalpena bahunāpi vā | kātyāyanī koṭiśatairvṛtā tasya vibhūtidā

Translation

Ai tôn thờ Nữ Thần—dù lễ vật ít hay nhiều—thì Kātyāyanī, được trăm ức quyến thuộc vây quanh, sẽ ban cho người ấy phú quý và vinh quang thiêng liêng.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

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

• pūjayate: worships
• pūjayate: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• devīm: the goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• svalpena: with little (offering)
• svalpena: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; साधन/परिमाणवाचक (measure)

• bahunā: with much (offering)
• bahunā: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; साधन/परिमाणवाचक (measure)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: or)

• kātyāyanī: Kātyāyanī
• kātyāyanī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kātyāyanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• koṭiśataiḥ: with hundreds of crores
• koṭiśataiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭiśata (प्रातिपदिक) = koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; संख्यासमास (numerical compound)

• vṛtā: surrounded
• vṛtā: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘surrounded’ (agreeing with kātyāyanī)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठī)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vibhūtidā: giver of prosperity/power
• vibhūtidā: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vibhūtidā (प्रातिपदिक) = vibhūti (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (धातु/प्रातिपदिक ‘giver’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying kātyāyanī)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa Sūta (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kātyāyanī stands radiant, attended by innumerable śaktis/gaṇas; a poor devotee offers a single flower while a wealthy patron offers many items—both receive equal grace shown as a halo of vibhūti around them.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Kātyāyanī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Goddess values devotion over expenditure; even simple worship can attract her grace and vibhūti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the chapter’s tīrtha-centered Devī worship; the specific locale is implied as the same “this tīrtha” described nearby.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devī-pūjā (worship of the Goddess) is prescribed, explicitly allowing both modest and elaborate offerings.