Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

वह्निं प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य गिरीशस्तदनन्तरम् । दानकाले च गोत्रादि पृष्टो लज्जापरो हर

Transliteration

vahniṃ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya girīśastadanantaram | dānakāle ca gotrādi pṛṣṭo lajjāparo hara

Translation

Nachdem Girīśa das heilige Feuer umrundet hatte, fuhr er sogleich mit dem Ritus fort. Und zur Zeit der Gabe, als man ihn nach seiner Abstammung (Gotra) und Ähnlichem fragte, wurde Hara bescheiden und verlegen.

Word by Word

• वह्निम्: fire
• वह्निम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: having circumambulated
• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-√दक्षिणी-√कृ (धातु) + क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• गिरीशः: Lord of the mountain (Śiva)
• गिरीशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• तत्: then/that
• तत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्ययीभावे उपपदत्वेन

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• दानकाले: at the time of giving (donation)
• दानकाले: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• गोत्रादि: lineage and the like
• गोत्रादि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोत्र + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘गोत्रम् आदि’ इत्यर्थे समाहार

• पृष्टः: asked
• पृष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √पृच्छ् (धातु) + क्त-प्रत्यय (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘(सः) पृष्टः’

• लज्जापरः: full of shame; bashful
• लज्जापरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लज्जा + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• हर: O Hara (Śiva)
• हर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Deductive (narrator in Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Girīśa) circumambulates the blazing sacred fire; later, during the gifting moment, priests inquire about gotra, and Śiva appears bashful—eyes lowered, gentle smile—while the assembly watches in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Vahni/Agni (fire)
• Girīśa (Śiva)
• Hara (Śiva)
• Gotra (lineage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual humility is a virtue—dharma is not mere formality but is performed with modesty and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it focuses on marriage-rite actions within the chapter’s sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Circumambulation of the sacred fire (agni-pradakṣiṇā) and the gifting phase (dāna-kāla) with gotra inquiry are mentioned.