Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

तदा स्याद्विषुवाख्यस्तु कालश्चाक्षयकारकः । मकरे कर्कटे चैव यदा भानुर्व्रजेन्नृप

Transliteration

tadā syādviṣuvākhyastu kālaścākṣayakārakaḥ | makare karkaṭe caiva yadā bhānurvrajennṛpa

Translation

Ô roi, ce temps est appelé Viṣuva, le tournant équinoxial, et il devient générateur de mérite impérissable (akṣaya). Il en est tout particulièrement ainsi lorsque le Soleil entre en Makara (Capricorne) et en Karkaṭa (Cancer).

Word by Word

• tadā: then
• tadā: Sambandha (Temporal adverb/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (then/at that time)

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• viṣuva-ākhyaḥ: called ‘Viṣuva’ (equinox)
• viṣuva-ākhyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣuva + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (viṣuva iti ākhyaḥ)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक अव्यय (indeed)

• kālaḥ: time/seasonal moment
• kālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (and)

• akṣayakārakaḥ: producing imperishability; unfailing
• akṣayakārakaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya + kāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (akṣayaṃ karoti iti)

• makare: in Capricorn (Makara)
• makare: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: makara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; राशिनाम

• karkaṭe: in Cancer (Karkaṭa)
• karkaṭe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karkaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; राशिनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (and)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle: just/indeed)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Sambandha (Temporal connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (when)

• bhānuḥ: the Sun
• bhānuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhānu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vrajet: would go/enters
• vrajet: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (व्रज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (contextual; addressing the King)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa) explicitly addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage points to a calendrical wheel: Viṣuva is marked, and the Sun is shown entering Makara and Karkaṭa; the king listens while pilgrims prepare offerings at a riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Bhānu (Sun)
• Viṣuva
• Makara
• Karkaṭa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain cosmic junctions—especially solar transits—are praised as ‘akṣaya’, making gifts and rites yield enduring spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage sits within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya (Nāgara Khaṇḍa), though this verse itself focuses on sacred timing rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It indicates Viṣuva/Solar-transit periods (Makara and Karkaṭa entries) as especially fit for acts that aim at imperishable merit, such as dāna and śrāddha (by context).