Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

त्रयाणामपि तेषां तु साध्वर्चाः शास्त्रसूचिताः । स्थापयामास सूर्याणां हस्तार्के सूर्यवासरे

Transliteration

trayāṇāmapi teṣāṃ tu sādhvarcāḥ śāstrasūcitāḥ | sthāpayāmāsa sūryāṇāṃ hastārke sūryavāsare

Translation

وللثلاثة جميعًا أُقيمت أصول العبادة القويمة كما دلّت عليها الشاسترا؛ ثم ثبّت تماثيل الشمس حين كانت الشمس في منزلة «هستا» النجمية، في يوم الأحد.

Word by Word

• त्रयाणाम्: of three
• त्रयाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — 'of three'

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ — 'also/even'

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — 'of them'

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषणार्थ — 'but/indeed'

• साधु-अर्चाः: proper acts of worship
• साधु-अर्चाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्चा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन — 'proper worships'

• शास्त्र-सूचिताः: indicated by the scriptures
• शास्त्र-सूचिताः: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सूचित (कृदन्त; √सूच्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), 'indicated by scripture'

• स्थापयामास: installed
• स्थापयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense 'caused to be placed/installed'

• सूर्याणाम्: of the Sun-images
• सूर्याणाम्: Karman (Object as genitive complement/कर्म-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — 'of the Suns (images)'

• हस्त-अर्के: at Hastārka
• हस्त-अर्के: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'at/ in Hastārka (place/tīrtha)'

• सूर्य-वासरे: on Sunday
• सूर्य-वासरे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वासर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'on Sunday'

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / dvija-sattamas (assembly of sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa performs śāstra-prescribed worship and installs three radiant Sūrya mūrtis on a Sunday under the Hasta nakṣatra; priests hold kalasha, conch, lamps; the sky shows a golden sun and auspicious star symbolism.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya (Bhāskara)
• Hasta nakṣatra
• Sūryavāsara (Sunday)
• Śāstra (scripture)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is perfected through śāstra-guided practice—right worship and right timing sanctify a place for future pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgara Khaṇḍa tīrtha where three Sūrya forms are installed, establishing an enduring center of Sūrya worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform proper, scripture-indicated worship and install the Sūrya forms on an auspicious alignment: Hasta nakṣatra and Sunday (sūryavāsara).