Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

सप्तम्यामर्कवारेण यस्तं पश्यति मानवः । मुच्येद्दिनोद्भवात्पापान्महतोऽपिद्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

saptamyāmarkavāreṇa yastaṃ paśyati mānavaḥ | mucyeddinodbhavātpāpānmahato'pidvijottamāḥ

Translation

Am Saptamī-Tag, wenn er auf einen Sonntag fällt, wird jeder Mensch, der Ihn erblickt, von den aus unheilvollen Tagen entspringenden Sünden befreit—selbst von großen—o Bester der Zweimalgeborenen.

Word by Word

• सप्तम्याम्: on the seventh (lunar day)
• सप्तम्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक

• अर्कवारेण: on Sunday (by the day of Arka)
• अर्कवारेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क + वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (अर्कस्य वारः = रविवासरः)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• तम्: him/that (deity)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मुच्येत्: would be freed
• मुच्येत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि/भावे (is/should be released)

• दिनोद्भवात्: arising from the day (i.e., daily)
• दिनोद्भवात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दिनात् उद्भवः)

• पापात्: from sins
• पापात्: Apādāna (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन (Vedic/epic usage: पापात् for पापेभ्यः)

• महतः: great
• महतः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन (agreeing with पापात् understood as plural); विशेषणम्

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); अप्यर्थे (even)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारयः (द्विजेषु उत्तमाः) — सम्बोधनार्थेऽपि प्रयोगः (vocative sense possible)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣpāditya (shrine/deity)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At sunrise on a Sunday Saptamī, pilgrims queue for darśana; the sun motif is prominent, and the devotee’s burden of sin is shown dissolving as light falls on the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣpāditya (implicit)
• Saptamī
• Arka-vāra (Sunday)
• Arka/Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sight (darśana) at the right time is transformative; Purāṇic dharma links inner purification to calendrical sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The place where Puṣpāditya is present and worshipped in Adhyāya 155; the verse emphasizes timing (Saptamī + Sunday) rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform darśana (beholding) of the deity on Saptamī when it coincides with Sunday (Arka-vāra).