Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 230

Devanagari script

वासुदेवश्च शंखारि गदाजलजभृत्सदा । शंखांबुज गदाचक्री ध्येयो नारायणो नृभिः

Transliteration

vāsudevaśca śaṃkhāri gadājalajabhṛtsadā | śaṃkhāṃbuja gadācakrī dhyeyo nārāyaṇo nṛbhiḥ

Translation

常に法螺・円盤・棍棒・蓮華を携えるヴァースデーヴァ、すなわち法螺・蓮華・棍棒・円盤を具えたナーラーヤナを、人は観想すべきである。

Word by Word

• वासुदेवः: Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction: ‘and’)

• शंखारिः: bearing the conch
• शंखारिः: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंख-आरी (प्रातिपदिक; शंख + आरी/अरि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (शंखं धारयति/शंखेन युक्तः)

• गदाजलजभृत्: bearing mace and lotus
• गदाजलजभृत्: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा-जलज-भृत् (प्रातिपदिक; गदा + जलज + भृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (गदां जलजं च बिभर्ति)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘always’)

• शंखाम्बुजः: (having) conch and lotus
• शंखाम्बुजः: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंख-अम्बुज (प्रातिपदिक; शंख + अम्बुज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (शंखश्च अम्बुजं च)

• गदाचक्री: (having) mace and discus
• गदाचक्री: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा-चक्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक; गदा + चक्रिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (गदा च चक्रं च यस्य)

• ध्येयः: to be meditated upon
• ध्येयः: Vidheyavisheshaṇa (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/भाव्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय (to be meditated upon)

• नारायणः: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नृभिः: by men/people
• नृभिः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda teaching Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bindumādhava/Nārāyaṇa (contextual)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A meditator seated near the Ganga or in a shrine, eyes half-closed; above the heart-lotus appears Vāsudeva/Nārāyaṇa, four-armed, holding conch, discus, mace, and lotus, radiating calm light.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Nārāyaṇa
• Śaṅkha
• Cakra
• Gadā
• Padma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady contemplation (dhyāna) on Nārāyaṇa’s auspicious form is upheld as a direct spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the focus is on Nārāyaṇa-dhyāna within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa teaching flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna (meditation) on Nārāyaṇa/Vāsudeva bearing śaṅkha, cakra, gadā, and padma.