Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

यामाराधयते विष्णुर्ब्रह्मा रुद्रश्च वासवः । वांछितार्थं सदा देवीं वरं तस्या वृणो म्यहम्

Transliteration

yāmārādhayate viṣṇurbrahmā rudraśca vāsavaḥ | vāṃchitārthaṃ sadā devīṃ varaṃ tasyā vṛṇo myaham

Translation

Ich wähle einen Segen von jener Göttin, die Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Rudra und Vāsava (Indra) verehren—Sie, die stets das Ersehnte gewährt.

Word by Word

• yām: whom
• yām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• ārādhayate: worships
• ārādhayate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√rādh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• rudraḥ: Rudra
• rudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• vāsavaḥ: Vāsava (Indra)
• vāsavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vāṃchita-artham: the desired boon/object
• vāṃchita-artham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāṃchita (कृदन्त; √vāñch) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (vāṃchitaḥ arthaḥ)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• devīm: the Goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vṛṇomi: I choose/request
• vṛṇomi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛ (वृञ् वरणे) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Viṣakanyakā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A supplicant (tapasvī or devotee) declares choosing a boon from the Goddess revered by the Trimūrti and Indra; the four deities appear in the background in worship posture, establishing her supremacy.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā
• Rudra
• Vāsava (Indra)
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest Goddess is affirmed as the refuge even of the greatest gods; devotion to her is portrayed as the sure path to fulfillment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse primarily glorifies the Devī (and her boon-bestowing power) within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter; the geographic tīrtha is not named here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ārādhana (propitiatory worship) is indicated—worship of the Goddess as the means to obtain vāṃchitārtha (desired aims).