Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

चैत्रशुक्लतृतीयायां मध्याह्ने द्विजसत्तमाः । नक्षत्रे यमदैवत्ये मार्तंडस्य च वासरे

Transliteration

caitraśuklatṛtīyāyāṃ madhyāhne dvijasattamāḥ | nakṣatre yamadaivatye mārtaṃḍasya ca vāsare

Translation

Ô le meilleur des deux-fois-nés ! C’était à midi, le troisième jour lunaire de la quinzaine claire de Caitra, sous l’astérisme présidé par Yama, et au jour de Mārtaṇḍa (le Soleil).

Word by Word

• चैत्र-शुक्ल-तृतीयायाम्: on the bright third (tithi) of Caitra
• चैत्र-शुक्ल-तृतीयायाम्: Adhikarana (Time locus/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + तृतीया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); तिथिवाचक (denoting lunar day)

• मध्याह्ने: at midday
• मध्याह्ने: Adhikarana (Time locus/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्याह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• द्विज-सत्तमाः: the best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विज-सत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• नक्षत्रे: when the lunar mansion (nakṣatra) is
• नक्षत्रे: Adhikarana (Time locus/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यम-दैवत्ये: having Yama as the presiding deity
• यम-दैवत्ये: Adhikarana (Time qualifier/अधिकरण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + दैवत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); नक्षत्रविशेषण (qualifier of nakṣatra)

• मार्तण्डस्य: of the Sun (Mārtaṇḍa)
• मार्तण्डस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्तण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• वासरे: on the day (weekday)
• वासरे: Adhikarana (Time locus/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (purāṇic narrator within Tīrthamāhātmya context; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (best of twice-born)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous midday scene over a sacred waterbody; priests/learned brāhmaṇas note the calendar; the sun stands high; subtle zodiacal/astral motifs hover as symbolic emblems of tithi and nakṣatra.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Mārtaṇḍa (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches that tīrtha-related merit is intensified when performed at a specifically sanctified conjunction of tithi, weekday, and nakṣatra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets the auspicious time for a tīrtha episode in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the exact tīrtha name is implied by the surrounding chapter context rather than stated in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A precise auspicious time is indicated (Caitra śukla tṛtīyā, midday, Yama-associated nakṣatra, Sunday), typically used to frame snāna or tīrtha observances.