Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

वैशाखस्य तृतीयायां शुक्लायां रोहिणीषु च । तत्पदं निहितं तत्र वास्तोस्तेन महात्मना

Transliteration

vaiśākhasya tṛtīyāyāṃ śuklāyāṃ rohiṇīṣu ca | tatpadaṃ nihitaṃ tatra vāstostena mahātmanā

Translation

Au troisième jour lunaire de la quinzaine claire de Vaiśākha, lorsque dominait la constellation Rohiṇī, ce grand d’âme y établit le ‘pada’ sacré de Vāstu.

Word by Word

• vaiśākhasya: of (the month) Vaiśākha
• vaiśākhasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśākha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — ‘of Vaiśākha (month)’

• tṛtīyāyām: on the third (day/tithi)
• tṛtīyāyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘on the third (tithi)’

• śuklāyām: in the bright (fortnight)
• śuklāyām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuklā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying tṛtīyāyām)

• rohiṇīṣu: in/at Rohiṇī (asterism)
• rohiṇīṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rohiṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन — ‘among/at the Rohiṇīs (stars/asterisms)’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tatpadam: that (sacred) pada/footing
• tatpadam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — ‘that vāstu-pada’; कर्म/कर्तृपद-निर्णयः प्रसङ्गात् (here as object of nihitam)

• nihitam: placed
• nihitam: Kriyā (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-dhā (धा धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘placed/laid’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• vāstoḥ: of Vāstu
• vāstoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāstu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — ‘of the Vāstu (spirit/house-site)’

• tena: by him
• tena: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by him/with that’

• mahātmanā: by the great-souled (person)
• mahātmanā: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by the great-souled one’ (tena = by him)

Speaker

Sūta (narrative voice; implied for this section)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Vāstu-pada-sthāpana locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/‘dvijasattamāḥ’ (assembly at Naimiṣa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A consecration scene: a great-souled founder establishes the Vāstu-pada on sanctified ground under a bright lunar fortnight; priests mark a square mandala, place ritual pots, and invoke deities of directions while Rohiṇī shines overhead.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśākha (month)
• Śukla tithi
• Tṛtīyā
• Rohiṇī (nakṣatra)
• Vāstu-pada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma recognizes sacred time as well as sacred place; auspicious calendrical moments support consecration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The locale within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra where the Vāstu-pada was ritually established.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Establishing/placing the Vāstu-pada on Vaiśākha bright Tṛtīyā under Rohiṇī—an auspicious timing cue for Vāstu rites.