Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

वसवस्त्वा कृण्वन्निति मन्त्रेणानेन भक्तितः । नैवेद्यं च ततो दद्याद्वसवश्छंदसाविति

Transliteration

vasavastvā kṛṇvanniti mantreṇānena bhaktitaḥ | naivedyaṃ ca tato dadyādvasavaśchaṃdasāviti

Translation

بِتعبّدٍ وخشوع، وباستخدام هذا المانترا الذي يبتدئ بـ «Vasavas tvā kṛṇvan…»، ينبغي له بعد ذلك أن يقدّم النَّيفيديا، قربان الطعام؛ ثمّ يعاود العبادة بصيغةٍ تبتدئ بـ «Vasavaś chandasāv…».

Word by Word

• vasavaḥ: the Vasus
• vasavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tvā: you
• tvā: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular) — ‘त्वाम्’ का वैदिक/छान्दस रूप (enclitic)

• kṛṇvan: doing/making
• kṛṇvan: Karta (Agent in mantra/कर्ता)
• Type: Kridanta
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular) — मन्त्रपद (Vedic)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इत्यादि-निर्देशक (quotative marker)

• mantreṇa: by the mantra
• mantreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• anena: by this
• anena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक (Masculine/Neuter), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhaktitaḥ: out of devotion
• bhaktitaḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular) — हेतौ (in sense of cause: ‘out of devotion’)

• naivedyam: food offering (naivedya)
• naivedyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (and)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kala (Sequence/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अपादानार्थक (then/thereafter; from that)

• dadyāt: should give/offer
• dadyāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• vasavaḥ: (the) Vasus
• vasavaḥ: Sambandha (Reference/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural) — मन्त्रनाम-निर्देशः

• chandasā: with the Vedic metre/chant
• chandasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chandas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular) — छान्दस-प्रयोगे ‘छन्दसा’

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इत्यादि-निर्देशक (quotative)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa-śreṣṭha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee before an altar representing the eight Vasus, hands in añjali, reciting Vedic-sounding mantras; lamps flicker as he places naivedya on a leaf-plate, then continues with the second formula.

Characters & Entities

• Vasu (Aṣṭa-Vasu)
• Mantra
• Naivedya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed through mantra and offering (naivedya) is a complete form of worship endorsed by Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rite is taught within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Chant the indicated Vasu-mantras and then offer naivedya as part of the Vasu worship sequence.