Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

तत्र पारावतद्वंद्वं वसेत्स्वैरं कृतालयम् । प्रातःसायं च मध्याह्ने कुर्वन्नित्यं प्रदक्षिणम्

Transliteration

tatra pārāvatadvaṃdvaṃ vasetsvairaṃ kṛtālayam | prātaḥsāyaṃ ca madhyāhne kurvannityaṃ pradakṣiṇam

Translation

There a pair of pigeons lived freely, having made their dwelling; and morning, evening, and at midday they continually performed pradakṣiṇā, circumambulation.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक अव्यय/locative adverb)

• पारावत-द्वन्द्वम्: a pair of pigeons
• पारावत-द्वन्द्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारावत (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वन्द्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः (पारावतयोः द्वन्द्वम्)

• वसेत्: should dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• स्वैरम्: freely, at will
• स्वैरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वैर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative)

• कृत-आलयम्: having made a dwelling; settled
• कृत-आलयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त) + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) + तत्पुरुष (कृतः आलयः यस्य)

• प्रातः-सायम्: morning and evening
• प्रातः-सायम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातः (अव्यय) + सायम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-द्वन्द्व (समाहारद्वन्द्व), कालवाचक अव्यय

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• मध्याह्ने: at midday
• मध्याह्ने: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्याह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• कुर्वन्: doing, performing
• कुर्वन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-द्वितीया एकवचन (adverbial accusative)

• प्रदक्षिणम्: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) speaking to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Trilocana-śiva (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-seeker interlocutor (traditional frame: sages/devotees)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a sunlit Kāśī temple courtyard, a pair of pigeons circles the sanctum in gentle pradakṣiṇā at dawn, noon, and dusk, mirroring human devotees.

Characters & Entities

• Trilocana (Śiva)
• pigeons (pārāvata-dvandva)
• Kāśī (implied)
• prāsāda (temple/palace, implied in context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even simple beings attain devotional excellence through steady, daily acts of reverence like pradakṣiṇā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vicinity of Trilocana Śiva’s shrine/temple precinct in Kāśī (Varanasi), implied by the surrounding verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular pradakṣiṇā (clockwise circumambulation) performed at the three daily junctions: morning, midday, and evening.