Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

पादसंवाहनासक्तां विष्णु वक्त्राहितेक्षणाम् । अथापरां वयोवृद्धां श्वेतवस्त्रावगुंठिताम्

Transliteration

pādasaṃvāhanāsaktāṃ viṣṇu vaktrāhitekṣaṇām | athāparāṃ vayovṛddhāṃ śvetavastrāvaguṃṭhitām

Translation

He beheld one devotedly engaged in massaging the feet, her gaze fixed upon the face of Viṣṇu; and then he saw another—aged and venerable—veiled in white garments.

Word by Word

• पादसंवाहनासक्ताम्: attached to massaging the feet
• पादसंवाहनासक्ताम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाद + संवाहन + आसक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपपद/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध): पादसंवाहने आसक्तः/आसक्ता; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP from आ√सञ्ज्/सञ्ज् with उपसर्ग), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (to ‘samudrajām’ understood)

• विष्णु: of Vishnu
• विष्णु: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-भावे: ‘विष्णोः’ अर्थे)

• वक्त्राहितेक्षणाम्: with gaze fixed on (his) face
• वक्त्राहितेक्षणाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वक्त्र + आहित + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: वक्त्रे आहितम् ईक्षणं यस्याः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘आहित’ (PPP of आ√धा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रमसूचक/transition particle)

• अपराम्: another
• अपराम्: Karman (Object; with implied ‘dṛṣṭavantau’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (another [woman])

• वयोवृद्धाम्: aged/advanced in years
• वयोवृद्धाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वयस् + वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: वयसः वृद्धा; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• श्वेतवस्त्रावगुण्ठिताम्: veiled/covered with white cloth
• श्वेतवस्त्रावगुण्ठिताम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वेत + वस्त्र + अवगुण्ठित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: श्वेतवस्त्रेण अवगुण्ठिता; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP of अव√गुण्ठ्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrative voice; unspecified in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted female figure massages Viṣṇu’s feet, eyes lifted to his face; beside/behind, an aged venerable woman sits veiled in white, embodying austerity and dignity within the divine presence.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional service and unwavering contemplation of the Lord are presented as exalted forms of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya context (Nāgarakhaṇḍa), but this specific line does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual (snāna, dāna, vrata) is prescribed; the emphasis is on seva and focused devotion.