Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

प्रातर्मध्येऽपराह्ने च ध्यायन्ती हरिशंकरम् । वपुर्यथा पुरा कृष्टं पूजने शंकरस्य च

Transliteration

prātarmadhye'parāhne ca dhyāyantī hariśaṃkaram | vapuryathā purā kṛṣṭaṃ pūjane śaṃkarasya ca

Translation

Le matin, à midi et l’après-midi, elle méditait Hari-Śaṅkara ; et son corps s’amaigrissait comme autrefois, par le culte rendu à Śaṅkara.

Word by Word

• प्रातर्मध्ये: in the morning (mid-morning)
• प्रातर्मध्ये: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रातर् (अव्यय) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—प्रातर्-मध्ये (अव्ययीभाव)

• अपराह्ने: in the afternoon
• अपराह्ने: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपराह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

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

• ध्यायन्ती: meditating
• ध्यायन्ती: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) → ध्यायत् (शतृ-कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावेन/कर्तृवाचकः—‘she, meditating’

• हरिशंकरम्: Hari and Śaṅkara (Vishnu and Shiva)
• हरिशंकरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि+शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—हरिः च शंकरः च (द्वन्द्व, एकवचन-समाहार/एकदेवताबोध)

• वपुः: the body/form
• वपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Manner marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (comparative/‘as’)

• पुरा: formerly, earlier
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• कृष्टम्: drawn/attracted (as before)
• कृष्टम्: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष् (धातु) → कृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र ‘वपुः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (प्रथमा)

• पूजने: in worship
• पूजने: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• शंकरस्य: of Śaṅkara
• शंकरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

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

Speaker

Narrator within Brahma–Nārada dialogue (attribution by section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himācala-śikhara (contextual)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three vignettes in one frame: dawn, noon, and afternoon—each showing the tapasvinī meditating; above, a composite icon of Hari and Śaṅkara (or two deities in harmonious proximity); her body visibly lean from sustained worship.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Hariśaṅkara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular, time-disciplined meditation and worship purify and transform the practitioner, even through bodily austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s frame is Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, though the practice described is devotional and not tied to a single spot in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Thrice-daily dhyāna (morning–midday–afternoon) and Śaṅkara-pūjā.