Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

सूर्योदयात्प्रवर्तंते यज्ञाद्याः सकलाः क्रियाः । ताभिर्यज्ञभुजांतृप्तिः सविता तत्र कारणम्

Transliteration

sūryodayātpravartaṃte yajñādyāḥ sakalāḥ kriyāḥ | tābhiryajñabhujāṃtṛptiḥ savitā tatra kāraṇam

Translation

Mit dem Sonnenaufgang treten alle Handlungen in Gang, beginnend mit dem Yajña und den übrigen Riten. Durch sie werden die Genießenden des Opfers gesättigt; darin ist Savitṛ, die Sonne, die entscheidende Ursache.

Word by Word

• सूर्योदयात्: from sunrise
• सूर्योदयात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्योदय (प्रातिपदिक; सूर्य + उदय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सूर्यस्य उदयः)

• प्रवर्तन्ते: begin, proceed
• प्रवर्तन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• यज्ञाद्याः: beginning with sacrifices
• यज्ञाद्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञादि (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ + आदि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञः आदिः येषाम्)

• सकलाः: all
• सकलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• क्रियाः: rites, actions
• क्रियाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ताभिः: by those (rites)
• ताभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• यज्ञभुजाम्: of the eaters of the sacrifice (gods)
• यज्ञभुजाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञभुज् (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ + भुज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञं भुङ्क्ते इति)

• तृप्तिः: satisfaction
• तृप्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सविता: the Sun (Savitṛ)
• सविता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सवितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: therein, in that matter
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• कारणम्: the cause
• कारणम्: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn, the Sun rises over the Gaṅgā at Kāśī; priests begin yajña and morning rites, while devas receive oblations—Savitṛ depicted as the hidden mover of all activity.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Savitṛ
• Yajña
• Yajñabhuj (gods as recipients of offerings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma and ritual life are anchored in sacred time; the Sun enables and legitimizes the rhythm of righteous action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader teaching belongs to Kāśī-khaṇḍa (Varanasi/Kashi), framing cosmic order as part of Kāśī’s sacred worldview, though no single tirtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

That yajña and allied rites are to be undertaken from sunrise onward—highlighting sunrise as the proper ritual commencement.