Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

वटवृक्षं समाश्रित्य श्रद्धया परया युतः । स्थापयित्वा रवेरर्चां यथोक्तां पंचरात्रिके

Transliteration

vaṭavṛkṣaṃ samāśritya śraddhayā parayā yutaḥ | sthāpayitvā raverarcāṃ yathoktāṃ paṃcarātrike

Translation

S’étant abrité sous un banian, doté d’une foi suprême, il installa une image pour le culte de Ravi (Sūrya), selon les prescriptions du Pañcarātra.

Word by Word

• वटवृक्षम्: the banyan tree
• वटवृक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa + vṛkṣa (वट-प्रातिपदिक + वृक्ष-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समास (वटः एव वृक्षः) — 'banyan tree' (object of resorting)

• समाश्रित्य: having resorted to
• समाश्रित्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√śri (श्रि धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययकृदन्त — 'having taken refuge (in), having resorted to'

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (श्रद्धा-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — 'with faith'

• परया: supreme, intense
• परया: Karaṇa (Instrument qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parā (परा-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies श्रद्धया) — 'supreme, intense'

• युतः: endowed (with)
• युतः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuta (युत-प्रातिपदिक; √yuj/युज् भाव)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'endowed/connected (with)' (with श्रद्धया परया)

• स्थापयित्वा: having installed
• स्थापयित्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā + causative (स्था धातु, णिच्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive) of causative स्थापयति — 'having स्थापित (set up/installed)'

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

• अर्चाम्: the icon (image)
• अर्चाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arcā (अर्चा-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — 'image/icon/worship-form'

• यथोक्ताम्: as prescribed
• यथोक्ताम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yathā + ukta (यथा अव्यय + उक्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'उक्त', स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-समासभाव (yathā-ukta = 'as said') — qualifies अर्चाम्

• पंचरात्रिके: in the Pañcarātra tradition/text
• पंचरात्रिके: Adhikaraṇa (Reference/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcarātrika (पञ्चरात्रिक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (ग्रन्थनाम), सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — 'in the Pañcarātrika (text/tradition)'

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in Tīrthamāhātmya context; specific speaker not stated in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Under a vast banyan with hanging aerial roots, Gālava reverently sets up a Sūrya arcā (image) on a clean altar, performing prescribed rites with focused faith.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṭavṛkṣa (banyan)
• Ravi/Sūrya
• Pañcarātra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion becomes concrete through disciplined, scripture-aligned worship—faith expressed as proper installation and veneration of the deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A kṣetra associated with a vaṭavṛkṣa and Sūrya worship is implied; the exact place-name is not given in the verse snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcā-sthāpana (installation of an icon) of Ravi/Sūrya following Pañcarātra injunctions.