Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यत्र त्रिकालमासाद्य कर्म संध्यासमुद्भवम् । मर्त्यलोकं समासाद्य करोमि तदनंतरम्

Transliteration

yatra trikālamāsādya karma saṃdhyāsamudbhavam | martyalokaṃ samāsādya karomi tadanaṃtaram

Translation

«هناك، عند التقاء الأزمنة الثلاثة (صباحاً وظهراً ومساءً)، أبلغ ذلك الموضع وأؤدّي الطقوس المنبثقة من السندهيا (Sandhyā)؛ ثم بعد ذلك آتي إلى عالم البشر وأعمل بما يليق»۔

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक/relative adverb)

• त्रिकालम्: the three times (morning-noon-evening)
• त्रिकालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; द्विगुसमास (त्रयः कालाः)

• आसाद्य: having reached/attained
• आसाद्य: Kriya-viseshana (पूर्वकालिक क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया—‘having reached/attained’

• कर्म: act/rite
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• संध्या-समुद्भवम्: arising from the twilight rites
• संध्या-समुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संध्या + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (संध्यायाः समुद्भवम्) विशेषणम् (कर्मणः)

• मर्त्यलोकम्: the mortal world
• मर्त्यलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मर्त्यानां लोकः)

• समासाद्य: having come to/arrived at
• समासाद्य: Kriya-viseshana (पूर्वकालिक क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया—‘having come/arrived’

• करोमि: I do/perform
• करोमि: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष? (actually उत्तमपुरुष), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; उत्तमपुरुष एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma/Avyaya-artha (contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (here adverbial ‘that’)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating Brahmā’s resolve/statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-like declaration at a sacred spot: a pilgrim/ascetic figure facing the horizon at dawn, noon, and dusk, performing sandhyā rites with water-offering; the sense is of time’s three thresholds sanctifying place.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Sandhyā (twilight rite)
• Martyaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes regular worship at the three daily times; tīrthas amplify and sanctify these disciplined practices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the origin setup for the Brahmā-associated tīrtha that will be identified through the Brāhmī Mahāśilā narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of Sandhyā-related rites at the three daily times (trikāla), connected to approaching a sacred locus.