Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

सवस्त्राच्छादनाः शांत्यै दातव्यास्ते द्विजन्मने । अभिषेकं ततः कुर्यात्पायसेन जलेन तु

Transliteration

savastrācchādanāḥ śāṃtyai dātavyāste dvijanmane | abhiṣekaṃ tataḥ kuryātpāyasena jalena tu

Translation

Recouvertes de tissus et de vêtements, ces jarres doivent être offertes à un prêtre « deux-fois-né » (dvija) pour la paix. Ensuite, qu’on accomplisse l’abhiṣeka, en versant du pāyasa (riz au lait sacré) et de l’eau.

Word by Word

• सवस्त्राच्छादनाः: with cloth-coverings
• सवस्त्राच्छादनाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह) + vastra (प्रातिपदिक) + ācchādana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वस्त्रैः आच्छादनैः सह/युक्ताः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘ते’/‘(कलशाः)’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• शांत्यै: for peace, for appeasement
• शांत्यै: Sampradāna (Purpose/recipient—‘for’/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śānti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• दातव्याः: are to be given
• दातव्याः: Kriyā (Predicate obligation/विधेय-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) → dātavya (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय (to be given)

• ते: those
• ते: Kartṛ (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• द्विजन्मने: to the twice-born (Brahmin)
• द्विजन्मने: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvijanman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• अभिषेकम्: ablution, consecratory bathing
• अभिषेकम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhiṣeka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal adverb/कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (काल/क्रमवाचक adverb): ‘ततः’ = ‘तदनन्तरम्’

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पायसेन: with sweet rice (pāyasa)
• पायसेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāyasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• जलेन: with water
• जलेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• तु: indeed, and (as for)
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis particle (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण/विरोध/particle): ‘तु’

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A priest receives cloth-covered milk pots; nearby, a deity icon or liṅga/śālagrāma is bathed with pāyasa and water, streams flowing into a basin.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija (brāhmaṇa)
• Abhiṣeka
• Pāyasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Peace (śānti) is sought through dharmic giving and sanctifying acts, not merely through praise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā is the māhātmya context; the text situates these rites within Ayodhyā’s sacred discipline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donate cloth-covered ritual pots to a dvija for śānti and perform abhiṣeka using pāyasa and water.