Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 143

Devanagari script

अहं तुष्टोऽस्मि ते वत्स वरं वरय सुव्रत । अखंडितैर्बिल्वपत्रैस्त्रिकाले यत्त्वयार्चितः

Transliteration

ahaṃ tuṣṭo'smi te vatsa varaṃ varaya suvrata | akhaṃḍitairbilvapatraistrikāle yattvayārcitaḥ

Translation

«يا بُنيّ، لقد رضيتُ عنك. يا ثابتَ العهد في نذورك، اختر نعمةً تُمنَح—لأنك عبدتني ثلاث مرات في اليوم بأوراق البِلفا غير الممزقة.»

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tuṣṭaḥ: pleased
• tuṣṭaḥ: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣṭa (कृदन्त; √tuṣ)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• asmi: am
• asmi: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• te: with you / for you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन

• vatsa: dear child
• vatsa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• varaya: choose (ask for)
• varaya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु; var- 'to choose')
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• su-vrata: O one of good vows
• su-vrata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (सुन्दरं व्रतम् यस्य)

• akhaṇḍitaiḥ: with unbroken
• akhaṇḍitaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhaṇḍita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणं 'bilvapatraiḥ'

• bilva-patraiḥ: with bilva leaves
• bilva-patraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bilva (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tri-kāle: at the three times (daily)
• tri-kāle: Avyaya (Temporal modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tri (संख्या) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत्; अर्थः 'त्रिषु कालेषु'

• yat: because/that (which)
• yat: Karma (Patient in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• arcitaḥ: was worshipped
• arcitaḥ: Kriya (Passive predicate/कर्मणि-क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arcita (कृदन्त; √arc)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'aham' (Śiva) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (Hara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva addresses the devotee tenderly as ‘vatṣa’, offering a boon; the devotee stands with folded hands, bilva leaves and pūjā items visible, the liṅga shrine glowing.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Bilva (leaves)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disciplined daily worship (tri-kāla arcana) with purity of offering draws Śiva’s direct favor and the granting of boons.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting belongs to a Tīrthamāhātmya episode in Nāgara Khaṇḍa; this verse highlights the sacred practice (bilva-arcana) more than a named geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship Śiva three times daily using akhaṇḍita (unbroken) bilva leaves as an offering.