Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

पीतांबरधरं विष्णुं शंखचक्रगदाधरम् । तं च पुष्पैः समभ्यर्च्य मनस्तस्मिन्निवेश्य च

Transliteration

pītāṃbaradharaṃ viṣṇuṃ śaṃkhacakragadādharam | taṃ ca puṣpaiḥ samabhyarcya manastasminniveśya ca

Translation

وتأمّل فيشنو لابسًا ثوبًا أصفر، حاملًا الصدفة والقرص والهراوة؛ ثم عبده بالزهور وأثبت قلبه كلّه فيه.

Word by Word

• pīta-ambara-dharam: wearing yellow garments
• pīta-ambara-dharam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīta (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/षष्ठीभाव), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Masculine, Accusative, Singular (विशेषण of viṣṇum)

• viṣṇum: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• śaṃkha-cakra-gadā-dharam: bearing conch, discus, and mace
• śaṃkha-cakra-gadā-dharam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaṃkha (प्रातिपदिक) + cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + gadā (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपद + तत्पुरुष (उपपद) समास; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Masculine, Accusative, Singular (विशेषण of viṣṇum)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Pronoun, Accusative, Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; Conjunction

• puṣpaiḥ: with flowers
• puṣpaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• sam-abhyarcya: having duly worshipped
• sam-abhyarcya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-abhi-arc (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), पूर्वकाल; Absolutive (gerund) of √arc with upasargas sam+abhi

• manaḥ: mind
• manaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• tasmin: in him
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन; Pronoun, Locative, Singular

• niveśya: having placed/fixed
• niveśya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-viś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), पूर्वकाल; Absolutive (gerund) of √viś with upasarga ni

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; Conjunction

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary devotee in Ayodhyā offers fresh flowers before a four-armed Viṣṇu, yellow-robed, holding conch, discus, and mace; the devotee’s gaze turns inward as the shrine fades into meditative stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Śaṅkha
• Cakra
• Gadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion unites outer worship (flowers) with inner concentration—seeing Viṣṇu’s form and resting the mind in Him.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā is the chapter’s sacred setting; the verse highlights Viṣṇu-upāsanā that the Mahātmya associates with the city’s holiness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Puṣpa-arcana (flower worship) alongside dhyāna on Viṣṇu’s attributes (śaṅkha-cakra-gadā, pītāmbara).