Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

अथवा सोमवारेण यस्तं पश्यति मानवः । कृत्वा क्षणं सुभक्त्या यो यावत्संवत्सरं द्विजाः

Transliteration

athavā somavāreṇa yastaṃ paśyati mānavaḥ | kṛtvā kṣaṇaṃ subhaktyā yo yāvatsaṃvatsaraṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

Or, O twice-born, if a person beholds him on a Monday—even offering but a moment of sincere devotion—it is as though he had served for a full year.

Word by Word

• अथवा: or else
• अथवा: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक-समुच्चय/विकल्प (disjunctive particle: “or/else”)

• सोमवारेण: on Monday
• सोमवारेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमवार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; ‘सोमस्य वारः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास (instrumental: “on/by Monday”)

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

• तम्: him/that (deity)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (demonstrative pronoun)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): “having done”

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (accusative of duration)

• सुभक्त्या: with sincere devotion
• सुभक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सु’ उपसर्गपूर्वक-विशेषणपूर्वपदेन कर्मधारय (instrumental: “with good devotion”)

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

• यावत्: for as long as
• यावत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/विशेषण)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-निर्देशक (quantifier: “as long as/for the extent of”)

• संवत्सरम्: a year
• संवत्सरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (accusative of duration)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि प्रयुज्यते (often used as vocative sense)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition in Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Suparṇākhya-deva-darśana (as named in the passage)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijas / assembled listeners

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim arrives on a Monday, offers a brief but intense act of devotion before the Suparṇa-named deity; the moment is shown as outweighing a year of service.

Characters & Entities

• Soma-vāra (Monday)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In a powerful kṣetra, even brief but genuine devotion—especially on Śiva’s favored day (Monday)—yields vast merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same Śiva-related sacred site within Adhyāya 82; the verse does not specify the place-name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (beholding the deity) on Somavāra (Monday) with sincere bhakti, even if only for a moment.