Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

वैशाखस्य तृतीयायां शुक्लायां रोहिणीषु च । तत्पदं निहितं तत्र वास्तोस्तेन महात्मना

Transliteration

vaiśākhasya tṛtīyāyāṃ śuklāyāṃ rohiṇīṣu ca | tatpadaṃ nihitaṃ tatra vāstostena mahātmanā

Translation

Am dritten Mondtag der hellen Hälfte des Vaiśākha, als das Sternbild Rohiṇī vorherrschte, setzte jener Großherzige dort das heilige „pada“ des Vāstu ein.

Word by Word

• vaiśākhasya: of (the month) Vaiśākha
• vaiśākhasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśākha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — ‘of Vaiśākha (month)’

• tṛtīyāyām: on the third (day/tithi)
• tṛtīyāyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘on the third (tithi)’

• śuklāyām: in the bright (fortnight)
• śuklāyām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuklā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying tṛtīyāyām)

• rohiṇīṣu: in/at Rohiṇī (asterism)
• rohiṇīṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rohiṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन — ‘among/at the Rohiṇīs (stars/asterisms)’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tatpadam: that (sacred) pada/footing
• tatpadam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — ‘that vāstu-pada’; कर्म/कर्तृपद-निर्णयः प्रसङ्गात् (here as object of nihitam)

• nihitam: placed
• nihitam: Kriyā (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-dhā (धा धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘placed/laid’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• vāstoḥ: of Vāstu
• vāstoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāstu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — ‘of the Vāstu (spirit/house-site)’

• tena: by him
• tena: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by him/with that’

• mahātmanā: by the great-souled (person)
• mahātmanā: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by the great-souled one’ (tena = by him)

Speaker

Sūta (narrative voice; implied for this section)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Vāstu-pada-sthāpana locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/‘dvijasattamāḥ’ (assembly at Naimiṣa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A consecration scene: a great-souled founder establishes the Vāstu-pada on sanctified ground under a bright lunar fortnight; priests mark a square mandala, place ritual pots, and invoke deities of directions while Rohiṇī shines overhead.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśākha (month)
• Śukla tithi
• Tṛtīyā
• Rohiṇī (nakṣatra)
• Vāstu-pada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma recognizes sacred time as well as sacred place; auspicious calendrical moments support consecration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The locale within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra where the Vāstu-pada was ritually established.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Establishing/placing the Vāstu-pada on Vaiśākha bright Tṛtīyā under Rohiṇī—an auspicious timing cue for Vāstu rites.