Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

स त्रिरात्रं स्थितस्तत्र यात्रां कृत्वा यथाविधि । स्तुवन्नयोध्यामाहात्म्यं प्रतस्थे मुनिसत्तमः

Transliteration

sa trirātraṃ sthitastatra yātrāṃ kṛtvā yathāvidhi | stuvannayodhyāmāhātmyaṃ pratasthe munisattamaḥ

Translation

Ce sage excellent demeura là trois nuits ; ayant accompli le pèlerinage selon la règle, il repartit en célébrant la gloire d’Ayodhyā.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tri-rātram: for three nights
• tri-rātram: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या) + rātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगुसमास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कालपरिमाणम् (duration)

• sthitaḥ: stayed
• sthitaḥ: Kriyā (Predicate/State)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातु: स्था (1.प.); अर्थः: स्थितः = having stayed

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• yātrām: pilgrimage/ritual journey
• yātrām: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: कृ (8.उ.); अर्थः: कृत्वा = having done

• yathā-vidhi: as prescribed
• yathā-vidhi: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्ययत्वम्; अर्थः: विधिपूर्वकम् (as prescribed)

• stuvan: praising
• stuvan: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Simultaneous action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: stu (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातु: स्तु (2.प.); अर्थः: स्तुवन् = praising

• ayodhyā-māhātmyam: the greatness of Ayodhyā
• ayodhyā-māhātmyam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayodhyā (प्रातिपदिक) + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ayodhyāyāḥ māhātmyam); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• pratasthe: set out
• pratasthe: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√sthā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; धातु: स्था (1) उपसर्ग: प्र; अर्थः: प्रस्थितवान् (set out)

• muni-sattamaḥ: the best of sages
• muni-sattamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (munīnām sattamaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे न (here nominative epithet)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa—Ayodhyāmāhātmya; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical frame; not explicit in these verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A venerable sage completes a three-night observance in Ayodhyā, performs prescribed pilgrimage acts, and departs while chanting the city’s glory; the sacred landscape suggests ghāṭas, temples, and the Sarayū’s calm flow.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Ayodhyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-yātrā culminates in disciplined observance (yathāvidhi) and grateful praise (stuti) of the sacred place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā itself—its māhātmya is praised as the pilgrim departs.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A three-night observance (trirātra) and yātrā performed according to vidhi (injunction).