Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

ततोऽपराह्णसमये स्नात्वा धौतांबरः शुचिः । प्रतिमां पूजयेद्भक्त्या दिनाधिपसमुद्भवाम्

Transliteration

tato'parāhṇasamaye snātvā dhautāṃbaraḥ śuciḥ | pratimāṃ pūjayedbhaktyā dinādhipasamudbhavām

Translation

પછી અપરાહ્ન સમયે સ્નાન કરીને, ધોયેલા સ્વચ્છ વસ્ત્ર ધારણ કરી શુદ્ધ બની, દિવસાધિપ (સૂર્ય)ની પ્રતિમાની ભક્તિપૂર્વક પૂજા કરવી।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): तदनन्तरम् (thereafter)

• aparāhṇa-samaye: at the afternoon time
• aparāhṇa-samaye: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aparāhṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + samaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): अपराह्णस्य समये (in the time of afternoon)

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): स्नात्वा = स्नानं कृत्वा (having bathed)

• dhauta-āmbaraḥ: wearing washed garments
• dhauta-āmbaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhauta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √dhāv/√dhau ‘to wash’, क्त) + āmbara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: धौतं अम्बरं यस्य (one whose garment is washed)

• śuciḥ: pure
• śuciḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• pratimām: the image (idol)
• pratimām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratimā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• dinādhipa-samudbhavām: born of the Sun (lord of day)
• dinādhipa-samudbhavām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): दिनाधिपस्य (सूर्यस्य) समुद्भवा (arisen from the lord of day)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a tīrtha in the afternoon light, freshly bathed, in clean white cloth, standing before a radiant Sūrya-pratimā on a small altar, hands joined in devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer purity—bath and clean dress—supports inner devotion, making worship a complete dharmic act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the instruction centers on Sūrya-pūjā as part of the vrata.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe in the afternoon, wear clean garments, remain pure, and worship a Sūrya pratimā with devotion.