Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

सप्तम्यामर्कवारेण यस्तं पश्यति मानवः । मुच्येद्दिनोद्भवात्पापान्महतोऽपिद्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

saptamyāmarkavāreṇa yastaṃ paśyati mānavaḥ | mucyeddinodbhavātpāpānmahato'pidvijottamāḥ

Translation

En la Saptamī, cuando coincide con domingo, quienquiera que lo contemple queda liberado de los pecados nacidos de días infaustos—aun de los grandes—oh excelso entre los dos veces nacidos.

Word by Word

• सप्तम्याम्: on the seventh (lunar day)
• सप्तम्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक

• अर्कवारेण: on Sunday (by the day of Arka)
• अर्कवारेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क + वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (अर्कस्य वारः = रविवासरः)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• तम्: him/that (deity)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मुच्येत्: would be freed
• मुच्येत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि/भावे (is/should be released)

• दिनोद्भवात्: arising from the day (i.e., daily)
• दिनोद्भवात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दिनात् उद्भवः)

• पापात्: from sins
• पापात्: Apādāna (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन (Vedic/epic usage: पापात् for पापेभ्यः)

• महतः: great
• महतः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन (agreeing with पापात् understood as plural); विशेषणम्

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); अप्यर्थे (even)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारयः (द्विजेषु उत्तमाः) — सम्बोधनार्थेऽपि प्रयोगः (vocative sense possible)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣpāditya (shrine/deity)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At sunrise on a Sunday Saptamī, pilgrims queue for darśana; the sun motif is prominent, and the devotee’s burden of sin is shown dissolving as light falls on the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣpāditya (implicit)
• Saptamī
• Arka-vāra (Sunday)
• Arka/Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sight (darśana) at the right time is transformative; Purāṇic dharma links inner purification to calendrical sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The place where Puṣpāditya is present and worshipped in Adhyāya 155; the verse emphasizes timing (Saptamī + Sunday) rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform darśana (beholding) of the deity on Saptamī when it coincides with Sunday (Arka-vāra).