Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

चैत्रमासि नरो यस्तु तमाराधयते द्विजाः । नृत्यगीतप्रवाद्यैश्च त्रिकालं विहितक्षणः । स नूनं तत्प्रसादेन गन्धर्वाधिपतिर्भवेत् १

Transliteration

caitramāsi naro yastu tamārādhayate dvijāḥ | nṛtyagītapravādyaiśca trikālaṃ vihitakṣaṇaḥ | sa nūnaṃ tatprasādena gandharvādhipatirbhavet 1

Translation

O twice-born ones, whoever worships Him in the month of Caitra—at the three daily times, with the prescribed observances and with dance, song, and instrumental music—by that Lord’s grace will surely become the chief of the Gandharvas.

Word by Word

• चैत्रमासि: in the month of Caitra
• चैत्रमासि: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (‘चैत्रः मासः’); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Discourse marker (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• तम्: him (that deity)
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘लिङ्ग/हर’ इत्यर्थे

• आराधयते: worships; propitiates
• आराधयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-राध् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे प्रयोग (vocative sense)

• नृत्य-गीत-प्रवाद्यैः: with dance, song, and instrumental music
• नृत्य-गीत-प्रवाद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + गीत (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवाद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व समास; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• त्रिकालम्: thrice daily
• त्रिकालम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (accusative of extent)

• विहित-क्षणः: one who has fixed/appointed times (for worship)
• विहित-क्षणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विहित (कृदन्त; √धा धातु, वि-उपसर्ग, क्त) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (‘विहितः क्षणः यस्य’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘नरः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of certainty)

• तत्-प्रसादेन: by/through his grace
• तत्-प्रसादेन: Hetu/Karana (Cause/Instrument/हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (‘तस्य प्रसादः’); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• गन्धर्व-अधिपतिः: lord of the Gandharvas
• गन्धर्व-अधिपतिः: Karta-predicative (Predicate nominative/कर्तृ-विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (‘गन्धर्वाणाम् अधिपतिः’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Durvāsas-sthāpita liṅga)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Caitra-month temple festival at the liṅga: devotees perform nṛtya and gīta with vīṇā, mṛdaṅga, and cymbals; tri-kāla scenes show morning lamps, midday offerings, and evening ārati; Śiva’s grace manifests as celestial gandharvas above.

Characters & Entities

• Caitra
• Dvija
• Gandharva
• Śiva-liṅga (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Joyful devotional service—performed with discipline at proper times—draws extraordinary grace and upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The worship is tied to the Durvāsas-established liṅga within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship in Caitra with trikāla observance, offering dance, song, and instrumental music as devotional service.