Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

मासिमासि सदाष्टम्यां त्वं शुक्लायां सुदूरतः । आगत्य देवतायाश्च प्रकरोषि प्रदक्षिणाम्

Transliteration

māsimāsi sadāṣṭamyāṃ tvaṃ śuklāyāṃ sudūrataḥ | āgatya devatāyāśca prakaroṣi pradakṣiṇām

Translation

«Mois après mois, au jour d’Aṣṭamī de la quinzaine claire, tu viens de très loin et tu accomplis la pradakṣiṇā, la circumambulation de la Déesse.»

Word by Word

• मासि: in a month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘मासि’ = in a month

• मासि: month after month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति—‘मासि मासि’ = month after month

• सदा: always
• सदा: Visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth lunar day (aṣṭamī)
• अष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुषार्थे मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• शुक्लायाम्: in the bright (fortnight)
• शुक्लायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषण—(अष्टम्याम्) शुक्लपक्षे

• सुदूरतः: from very far away
• सुदूरतः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सुदूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb); ‘-तः’ = from

• आगत्य: having come
• आगत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Conjunctive action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘having come’

• देवतायाः: of the goddess/deity
• देवतायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• प्रकरोषि: you perform/do
• प्रकरोषि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-कर् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/लट्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रदक्षिणाम्: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa sages (dvija-sattamas) addressing the king

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devī-āyatana (name not specified in excerpt)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted pilgrim arrives from a distant land on bright-fortnight Aṣṭamī and begins clockwise circumambulation around a Devī shrine, lamps and flowers in hand, with temple attendants and brāhmaṇas observing.

Characters & Entities

• Śuklāṣṭamī
• Devī/Devatā (Goddess)
• Pradakṣiṇā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion is measured by consistency and effort—returning again and again to the sacred, even from far away.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Devī-tīrtha in the Nāgara Khaṇḍa: its attraction is so strong that the king undertakes repeated long-distance visits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance on Śuklāṣṭamī (bright fortnight) with pradakṣiṇā of the Goddess, undertaken regularly each month.