Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

चतुष्टयं च वृक्षाणां चातुर्मास्ये समागते । अपूजयंश्च विधिवदैक्यभावेन शूद्रज

Transliteration

catuṣṭayaṃ ca vṛkṣāṇāṃ cāturmāsye samāgate | apūjayaṃśca vidhivadaikyabhāvena śūdraja

Translation

Et lorsque vint le Cāturmāsya, ils rendirent un culte rituel aux quatre arbres, d’un seul esprit dans le sentiment d’unité—ô fils d’un Śūdra.

Word by Word

• चतुष्टयम्: a group of four
• चतुष्टयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुष्टय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; 'a set of four'

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

• वृक्षाणाम्: of trees
• वृक्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन (genitive plural)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya (four-month period)
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Location/Time-adhikaraṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन (locative singular)

• समागते: having arrived; when it came
• समागते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), सप्तमी एकवचन नपुंसकलिङ्ग; 'having arrived/when it had come' (locative absolute with चातुर्मास्ये)

• अपूजयन्: they worshipped
• अपूजयन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; नकार-आगम (अ-), 'they worshipped'

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

• विधिवत्: properly; as prescribed
• विधिवत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक अव्यय (adverb: 'according to rule')

• ऐक्यभावेन: with a feeling of unity
• ऐक्यभावेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐक्य-भाव (प्रातिपदिक; components: ऐक्य + भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन (instrumental singular); हेतौ/प्रकारे 'in a state of unity'

• शूद्रज: Śūdra-born (person)
• शूद्रज: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्रज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (nominative singular); पाठ अपूर्ण/छिन्नः (truncated in source)

Speaker

Gālava (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (tree-mahātmya within)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śūdra-putra addressee (explicit vocative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas (or devotees) worship four distinct sacred trees arranged as a mandala—offering lamps and water, performing pradakṣiṇā—while maintaining a unified contemplative gaze; the season suggests monsoon greenery.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Four sacred trees (catuṣṭayaṃ vṛkṣāṇām)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual becomes transformative when performed with aikyabhāva—seeing the one sacred reality in many forms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The practice is narrated within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya of Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During Cāturmāsya, worship four sacred trees according to proper procedure (vidhi).