Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

गौतम उवाच । अद्य श्रवणनक्षत्रे तव दत्तो महोत्सवः । वैष्णवे पुण्यनक्षत्रे सर्वपापविवर्जिते

Transliteration

gautama uvāca | adya śravaṇanakṣatre tava datto mahotsavaḥ | vaiṣṇave puṇyanakṣatre sarvapāpavivarjite

Translation

ગૌતમ બોલ્યા— આજે શ્રવણ નક્ષત્રે તને આ મહોત્સવ અર્પણ થયો છે; આ વૈષ્ણવ પુણ્ય નક્ષત્ર છે, સર્વ પાપથી વિમુક્ત.

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 3rd person singular, परस्मैपद

• adya: today
• adya: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• śravaṇa-nakṣatre: on the Śravaṇa asterism
• śravaṇa-nakṣatre: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + nakṣatra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (श्रवणं नाम नक्षत्रम्) ; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular

• tava: for you / your
• tava: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular (2nd person pronoun)

• dattaḥ: given
• dattaḥ: Karya-kartṛbhāva (Predicative complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dā (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; कर्मणि-भाव (given)

• mahā-utsavaḥ: a great festival
• mahā-utsavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + utsava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् उत्सवः) ; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• vaiṣṇave: Vaiṣṇava (sacred to Viṣṇu)
• vaiṣṇave: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaiṣṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular; विशेषण (to nakṣatre)

• puṇya-nakṣatre: in the auspicious asterism
• puṇya-nakṣatre: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + nakṣatra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (पुण्यं नक्षत्रम्) ; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular

• sarva-pāpa-vivarjite: free from all sins
• sarva-pāpa-vivarjite: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + vivarjita (vi√vṛj/√varj धातु, क्त कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (सर्वपापैः विवर्जितः) ; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular; क्त-कृदन्त विशेषण (to nakṣatre)

Speaker

Gautama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gautama formally grants the mahotsava ‘today’ under Śravaṇa: a ritual calendar moment—sage pronouncing sanction, priests noting nakṣatra, devotees preparing offerings under a clear sky.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Indra
• Śravaṇa Nakṣatra
• Vaiṣṇava Nakṣatra
• Viṣṇu (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proper timing (kāla) sanctifies worship; auspicious lunar mansions are treated as dharmic supports for merit and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse emphasizes sacred timing within a tīrthamāhātmya chapter; the tīrtha identification depends on the surrounding adhyāya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The mahotsava is to be established on the Śravaṇa nakṣatra, described as Vaiṣṇava and highly purifying.