Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । कर्कसंक्रांतिदिवसे विष्णुं संपूज्य भक्तितः । फलैरर्घ्यः प्रदातव्यः शस्तजंबूफलैः शुभैः

Transliteration

brahmovāca | karkasaṃkrāṃtidivase viṣṇuṃ saṃpūjya bhaktitaḥ | phalairarghyaḥ pradātavyaḥ śastajaṃbūphalaiḥ śubhaiḥ

Translation

Brahmā dit : «Le jour de Karka-saṃkrānti, lorsque le Soleil entre dans le Cancer, adorez Viṣṇu avec dévotion. Puis offrez l’arghya avec des fruits, surtout avec de beaux fruits de jambū, de bon augure.»

Word by Word

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता/कर्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• karkasaṃkrāṃtidivase: on the day of the Karka-saṃkrānti
• karkasaṃkrāṃtidivase: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karka-saṃkrānti-divasa (प्रातिपदिक; कर्क + संक्रान्ति + दिवस)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• viṣṇum: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (object of saṃpūjya)

• saṃpūjya: having worshipped
• saṃpūjya: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) with उपसर्ग ‘सम्’; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• bhaktitaḥ: with devotion
• bhaktitaḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; हेतौ/प्रकारे (by devotion)

• phalaiḥ: with fruits
• phalaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण (instrument)

• arghyaḥ: arghya-offering
• arghyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arghya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्म/विधेय (thing to be offered)

• pradātavyaḥ: should be given
• pradātavyaḥ: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) + tavya (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligative) ‘-तव्य’; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय

• śasta: excellent / praised
• śasta: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śasta (प्रातिपदिक; शंस्/शस्-धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying jaṃbūphalaiḥ)

• jaṃbūphalaiḥ: with jambu fruits
• jaṃbūphalaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṃbū-phala (प्रातिपदिक; जम्बू + फल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; करण

• śubhaiḥ: auspicious
• śubhaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying jaṃbūphalaiḥ)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (addressed generally; implied) viprendra / best of brāhmaṇas in the surrounding passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee at a riverside/temple courtyard on Karka-saṃkrānti offers ārghya in a copper vessel filled with water and auspicious jambū fruits before a radiant Viṣṇu icon; priests chant while the sun’s transition is symbolically marked.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Karka-saṃkrānti
• Arghya
• Jambū (fruit)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seasonal sacred time is sanctified through devotion: beginning Cāturmāsya with Viṣṇu-pūjā and respectful offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse emphasizes sacred time (saṃkrānti/Cāturmāsya) rather than naming a particular tirtha, within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha-mahātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On Karka-saṃkrānti, perform Viṣṇu worship and offer arghya using auspicious fruits, notably jambū fruit.