Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

अश्वो वोढेति यत्सूक्तं चतुःषष्टिसमुद्भवम् । छंदऋषिदेवतायुक्तं जपं चक्रे ततः परम्

Transliteration

aśvo voḍheti yatsūktaṃ catuḥṣaṣṭisamudbhavam | chaṃdaṛṣidevatāyuktaṃ japaṃ cakre tataḥ param

Translation

ثم أجرى الجَپَة (japa) لترتيل النشيد الذي يبتدئ بـ «aśvo voḍhā…»، المنبثق من مجموعة الأربع والستين، مستوفياً وزنه (chandas) ورائيه (ṛṣi) وإلهه الحاكم.

Word by Word

• aśvaḥ: horse
• aśvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• voḍhā: carrier, bearer
• voḍhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vah (धातु) → voḍhṛ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तरि-तृच् (agent noun)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत्

• sūktam: hymn
• sūktam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūkta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• catuḥṣaṣṭi-samudbhavam: arisen from sixty-four
• catuḥṣaṣṭi-samudbhavam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catuḥṣaṣṭi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (catuḥṣaṣṭyāḥ samudbhavam)

• chandaḥ-ṛṣi-devatā-yuktam: endowed with meter, seer, and deity
• chandaḥ-ṛṣi-devatā-yuktam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: chandas (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + devatā (प्रातिपदिक) + yukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व/तत्पुरुष-समासभावः (chandaḥ-ṛṣi-devatābhiḥ yuktam); yukta = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• japam: recitation, japa
• japam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• cakre: performed
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/काल/क्रमसूचक (from there/then)

• param: after that
• param: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे अव्ययवत्; क्रमवाचक (afterwards)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvatīrtha (implied)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija (addressed: 'O twice-born')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage performs concentrated japa on a riverbank, holding a mālā, with subtle indications of chandas-ṛṣi-devatā (Vedic aura) surrounding him; the river glows as if responding to mantra.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ṛcīka
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma upholds disciplined mantra-practice—recitation aligned with tradition (metre, seer, deity) bears tangible sacred results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā-bank near Kānyakubja where the japa is performed, soon famed as Aśvatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of a specific sūkta, performed with proper chandas-ṛṣi-devatā assignment (traditional viniyoga framework).