Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

तदायनाभिधानस्तु विषुवोऽथ विशिष्यते । रवेः संक्रमणं राशौ संक्रांतिरिति कथ्यते

Transliteration

tadāyanābhidhānastu viṣuvo'tha viśiṣyate | raveḥ saṃkramaṇaṃ rāśau saṃkrāṃtiriti kathyate

Translation

Ce Viṣuva se distingue encore sous le nom d’« Āyana », le tournant solsticial. Le passage du Soleil dans un signe du zodiaque est appelé Saṃkrānti.

Word by Word

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

• ayana-abhidhānaḥ: having the designation ‘Ayana’ (solstice)
• ayana-abhidhānaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ayana + abhidhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ayanasya abhidhānam yasya)

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

• viṣuvaḥ: the equinox (Viṣuva)
• viṣuvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣuva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• atha: then/now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक/प्रस्तावक अव्यय (then/now)

• viśiṣyate: is distinguished; becomes special
• viśiṣyate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-śiṣ (विशिष् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (is distinguished/excels)

• raveḥ: of the Sun
• raveḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ravi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• saṃkramaṇam: the transition (ingress)
• saṃkramaṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃ-kramaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्रियानाम (act of passing/transition)

• rāśau: in a zodiac sign
• rāśau: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāśi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• saṃkrāntiḥ: Saṃkrānti (solar ingress)
• saṃkrāntiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkrānti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संज्ञा (technical term)

• iti: thus; called
• iti: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इति-समाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• kathyate: is said/is called
• kathyate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (कथ् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (Passive)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (contextual; addressing the King)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmological diagram: the Sun’s path with two ‘turning’ points labeled Āyana/Viṣuva; twelve rāśi gates; the sage gestures to the diagram while explaining to the king.

Characters & Entities

• Ravi (Sun)
• Āyana
• Viṣuva
• Saṃkrānti
• Rāśi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual dharma is tied to cosmic order: understanding solar transitions helps one choose times that magnify the fruit of sacred acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding chapter belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, but this verse is a calendrical definition rather than a site-panegyric.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It defines saṃkrānti as the Sun’s ingress into a rāśi, providing the technical basis for selecting auspicious ritual times.