Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

यस्तां पश्यति सद्भक्त्या चैत्राष्टम्यां सितेऽहनि । स पुमान्वत्सरं यावत्कृतार्थः स्यान्न संशयः

Transliteration

yastāṃ paśyati sadbhaktyā caitrāṣṭamyāṃ site'hani | sa pumānvatsaraṃ yāvatkṛtārthaḥ syānna saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Whoever beholds Her with sincere devotion on the bright eighth day of Caitra remains fulfilled and successful for a full year; of this there is no doubt.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular relative pronoun ‘who’

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन — feminine accusative singular ‘her/that (goddess)’

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → पश्यति
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — present indicative, 3rd person singular, active

• सद्भक्त्या: with sincere devotion
• सद्भक्त्या: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्-भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक; सत् + भक्ति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन — instrumental singular ‘with true devotion’

• चैत्राष्टम्याम्: on the Caitra eighth (tithi)
• चैत्राष्टम्याम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र-अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक; चैत्र + अष्टमी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन — locative singular; ‘on the eighth (tithi) of Caitra’

• सिते: in the bright fortnight
• सिते: Kala-adhikarana (Time qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन — locative singular; विशेषणम् of अहनि; ‘in the bright (fortnight)’

• अहनि: on the day
• अहनि: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन — locative singular ‘on the day’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular ‘he’

• पुमान्: a man
• पुमान्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular ‘man’

• वत्सरम्: for a year
• वत्सरम्: Kala (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन — masculine accusative singular; duration accusative

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Kala (Limit/duration marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि) — indeclinable ‘as long as/until’

• कृतार्थः: fulfilled / successful
• कृतार्थः: Karta (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; कृत + अर्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — masculine nominative singular; predicate adjective ‘fulfilled’

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु) → स्यात्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (सम्भावना/आशीः), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — optative, 3rd person singular, active ‘would be’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय — negation particle

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Pratishedha/Avadharana (Idiomatic assertion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — masculine nominative singular; ‘doubt’ (idiom: न संशयः = no doubt)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta) — implied

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devī-sthāna in Ānarta-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims arrive on bright Caitra aṣṭamī with lamps and flowers; they behold the Devī image; the calendar moon is shown bright; a subtle aura suggests blessings extending through the year.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Caitra Aṣṭamī (Śukla Pakṣa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional darśana at an auspicious time (tithi) yields sustained well-being, showing the power of bhakti joined with sacred calendrics.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The promise is tied to the Goddess’ presence “here” in the kṣetra described in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform darśana (devotional viewing) of the Goddess on Caitra Śukla Aṣṭamī with sincere devotion.