Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 102

Devanagari script

आदित्य उवाच । मया पर्यटनं कार्यं सदैव द्विजसत्तम । मेरोः प्रदक्षिणार्थाय लोकालोककृते द्विज

Transliteration

āditya uvāca | mayā paryaṭanaṃ kāryaṃ sadaiva dvijasattama | meroḥ pradakṣiṇārthāya lokālokakṛte dvija

Translation

Āditya sprach: „O Bester der Zweimalgeborenen, ich muss stets auf meiner Bahn wandern, den Meru umkreisend zum Wohl der Welten und ihrer Grenzen, um Licht und Dunkel zu ordnen, o Brāhmaṇa.“

Word by Word

• आदित्य: Āditya (the Sun)
• आदित्य: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āditya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in obligation/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; 'by me'

• पर्यटनम्: travel, circling
• पर्यटनम्: Karma (Thing to be done/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pari + aṭ (धातु) + युच्/अन (प्रत्यय) → paryaṭana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here with 'कार्यं' = 'wandering/circling'

• कार्यम्: must be done
• कार्यम्: Kriya (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ + यत्)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory) used predicatively; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'must be done'

• सदैव: always
• सदैव: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā + eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) = 'always'

• द्विजसत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: 'द्विजानां सत्तमः' = best among twice-born

• मेरोः: of Meru
• मेरोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; 'of Meru'

• प्रदक्षिणार्थाय: for circumambulation (purpose)
• प्रदक्षिणार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/प्रयोजन-सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: 'प्रदक्षिणायाः अर्थः' = for the purpose of circumambulation

• लोकालोककृते: for the sake of Lokāloka (the boundary region)
• लोकालोककृते: Hetu (Cause/Purpose/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lokāloka (प्रातिपदिक; loka + aloka) + kṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी/तृतीया? एकवचन; here as हेतौ/प्रयोजने (for the sake of) with sense 'for (the region) Lokāloka'; समासः: द्वन्द्व (लोक + अलोक) within, then तत्पुरुष with कृत ('made/pertaining to')

• द्विज: O twice-born
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Āditya/Sūrya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Meru (cosmic)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yājñavalkya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Āditya explains his perpetual circuit: a radiant Sun-god above a chariot, with Meru as a golden central mountain and a dark ring suggesting Loka–Āloka; the sage listens in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Āditya (Sūrya)
• Meru
• Loka
• Aloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even deities uphold a cosmic duty; dharma is sustained through constant, orderly action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate focus is cosmic geography (Meru) within a tīrtha narrative; the local tīrtha name is not specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction; it explains Sūrya’s perpetual movement and circumambulation (pradakṣiṇā) as cosmic function.