Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । अगस्त्यस्याश्रमं प्राप्य कस्माद्देवो दिवाकरः । प्रदक्षिणां प्रकुरुते वदैतन्मे सुविस्तरम्

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | agastyasyāśramaṃ prāpya kasmāddevo divākaraḥ | pradakṣiṇāṃ prakurute vadaitanme suvistaram

Translation

The sages said: “Having reached Agastya’s hermitage, why does the divine Sun, Divākara, perform pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation)? Explain this to us in full detail.”

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• agastyasya: of Agastya
• agastyasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• āśramam: hermitage
• āśramam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prāpya: having reached
• prāpya: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (आप् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive): 'having reached'

• kasmāt: why
• kasmāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेतुप्रश्न (interrogative: 'from what cause/why')

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• divākaraḥ: the Sun (day-maker)
• divākaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divā (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pradakṣiṇām: circumambulation
• pradakṣiṇām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prakurute: does/performs
• prakurute: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• vada: tell
• vada: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (वद् धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• me: to me
• me: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Genitive/Dative singular enclitic); अत्र चतुर्थी (to me)

• suvistaram: in full detail
• suvistaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सु+विस्तर); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'etat' इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agastya-āśrama (as narrated)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages at the edge of a forest hermitage asks about the Sun’s unusual act of circumambulation; in the distance, the radiant Sun-god is envisioned moving reverently around the āśrama.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Divākara (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True holiness is recognized even by the gods; reverence (pradakṣiṇā) is offered to realized sages and sacred abodes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Agastya’s āśrama (hermitage) is introduced as a sanctified locus whose greatness will be explained.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) is highlighted as an act of reverence toward a sacred place/person.