Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

पूजयेच्च द्विजश्रेष्ठा द्वादश्या दिवसे स्वयम् । स याति परमं स्थानं जरामरणवर्जितम्

Transliteration

pūjayecca dvijaśreṣṭhā dvādaśyā divase svayam | sa yāti paramaṃ sthānaṃ jarāmaraṇavarjitam

Translation

وإن قام هو بنفسه بالعبادة في يوم دْوَادَشِي، يا خيرَ ذوي الولادتين، بلغ المقام الأعلى، منزّهًا عن الشيخوخة والموت.

Word by Word

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः; संबोधनार्थे (vocative sense)

• द्वादश्याः: of Dvādaśī
• द्वादश्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• दिवसे: on the day
• दिवसे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्वयम्: personally
• स्वयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मवाचक/स्वकृत्यबोधक (oneself, personally)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• याति: attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying sthāna)

• स्थानम्: abode, place
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• जरामरणवर्जितम्: free from old age and death
• जरामरणवर्जितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जरा + मरण + वर्जित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जरामरणयोः वर्जितम् = free from old age and death)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Dvādaśī worship)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭha addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs Dvādaśī pūjā before the twin deities Nara-Nārāyaṇa (or the principal deity of the kṣetra), with a luminous aura suggesting the ‘jarā-maraṇa-vivarjita’ supreme abode beyond the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Dvādaśī
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Personal, timely worship (not merely seeing) is portrayed as a direct path to the deathless supreme state.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same Nāgara Khaṇḍa Adhyāya 60 tīrtha where Nara-Nārāyaṇa and other deities are worshipped.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform pūjā on Dvādaśī (contextually within the Kārttika bright fortnight from the surrounding verses).