Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अयने दक्षिणे प्राप्ते यस्तत्पूज्य समाहितः । निवेदयेत्तथात्मानं सम्यक्छ्रद्धासमन्वितः

Transliteration

ayane dakṣiṇe prāpte yastatpūjya samāhitaḥ | nivedayettathātmānaṃ samyakchraddhāsamanvitaḥ

Translation

दक्षिणायन के आने पर जो मन को एकाग्र करके उस (विष्णुपद) की पूजा करे और दृढ़ श्रद्धा सहित वहाँ अपने-आप को सम्यक् अर्पित करे,

Word by Word

• अयने: in the solstice/ayana
• अयने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दक्षिणे: southern
• दक्षिणे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्ते: when (it) has arrived
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राप्त (कृदन्त; √प्राप् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृत्-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध/locative absolute)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that (tīrtha/Viṣṇupada)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूज्य: having worshipped / worshipping
• पूज्य: Kriya (Sub-action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज्य (कृदन्त; √पूज् (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: तुमुनर्थे/विध्यर्थे कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory: 'to be worshipped'); अव्ययभावे क्रियाविशेषण (here: having worshipped/after worshipping)

• समाहितः: composed, attentive
• समाहितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समाहित (कृदन्त; सम्-आ-√धा (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृत्-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निवेदयेत्: should offer/submit
• निवेदयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद्/√वेद् (धातु; निवेदयति-प्रयोग, causative of √विद्)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम/मध्यम-पुरुष? एकवचन; परस्मैपद (context: 'he should offer/submit')

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• आत्मानम्: oneself
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• श्रद्धा-समन्वितः: endowed with faith
• श्रद्धा-समन्वितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (कृदन्त; सम्-अनु-√इ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (instrumental/association sense: 'endowed with faith'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation of Sūta’s discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇupada

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa-ṛṣis (implied from 24.1)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Viṣṇupada during the sun’s southern course: warm golden light, the devotee seated in meditation, offering flowers and water, hands in añjali, a footprint shrine nearby; the sun depicted slightly southward in the sky symbolism.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇupada-tīrtha
• Dakṣiṇāyana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere faith and inner composure, joined to worship, make pilgrimage acts spiritually efficacious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context is Viṣṇupada-tīrtha described in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship at the time of Dakṣiṇāyana and the practice of ātma-nivedana (self-dedication/complete offering of oneself).