Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कन्याभिः कोटिभिर्यच्च पूजिताभिर्भवेत्फलम् । वसूनां चैव तत्सर्वमष्टभिस्तैः प्रपूजितैः

Transliteration

kanyābhiḥ koṭibhiryacca pūjitābhirbhavetphalam | vasūnāṃ caiva tatsarvamaṣṭabhistaiḥ prapūjitaiḥ

Translation

纵使由亿万少女所行之供奉能生起何等功德——如法礼敬八位Vasu诸神，便能尽得其全部功德。

Word by Word

• kanyābhiḥ: by maidens
• kanyābhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन = Feminine Instrumental Plural

• koṭibhiḥ: by crores (tens of millions)
• koṭibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन = Feminine Instrumental Plural

• yat: that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter Nom./Acc. Singular relative pronoun

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात = conjunction

• pūjitābhiḥ: worshipped (ones)
• pūjitābhiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūj (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (kanyābhiḥ) = Past participle adjective, Feminine Instr. Pl

• bhavet: would be, may arise
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन = Optative, 3rd sg

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter Nom./Acc. Singular

• vasūnām: of the Vasus
• vasūnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन = Masculine Genitive Plural

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात = conjunction

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (sarvam) = Neuter Nom./Acc. Sg demonstrative adjective

• sarvam: all (of it)
• sarvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter Nom./Acc. Singular

• aṣṭabhiḥ: by eight
• aṣṭabhiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषणम् (taiḥ) = Numeral adjective, Instrumental Plural

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन = Masculine Instrumental Plural pronoun

• prapūjitaiḥ: having been duly worshipped
• prapūjitaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-pūj (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (taiḥ) = Past participle adjective, Masculine Instr. Pl

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Eight radiant Vasus are honored with offerings; the scene conveys the ‘crores of maidens’ hyperbole by showing a vast, faintly suggested crowd in the background while the eight deities receive the central worship.

Characters & Entities

• Aṣṭa-Vasu
• Kanyā (maidens)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text magnifies the power of specific deity worship in a tīrtha by equating it with vast amounts of conventional merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Thorough worship of the eight Vasus is recommended as a highly merit-yielding practice.