Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पूर्वं तु केशवः पूज्यो द्वितीयो मधुसूदनः । संकर्षणस्तृतीयस्तु ततो दामोदरः स्मृतः

Transliteration

pūrvaṃ tu keśavaḥ pūjyo dvitīyo madhusūdanaḥ | saṃkarṣaṇastṛtīyastu tato dāmodaraḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

ອັນດັບທຳອິດ ຄວນບູຊາ ເກສະວະ; ອັນດັບທີສອງ ແມ່ນ ມະທຸສູດະນະ; ອັນດັບທີສາມ ແມ່ນ ສັງກັຣສະນະ; ຈາກນັ້ນ ຈື່ຈຳວ່າ ດາໂມດະຣະ ເປັນອົງຕໍ່ໄປ.

Word by Word

• पूर्वम्: first/earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘पूर्वम्’ = earlier/first

• तु: indeed/and/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle): contrast/emphasis

• केशवः: Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• केशवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पूज्यः: worthy of worship
• पूज्यः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्य (कृदन्त; √पूज् (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive): ‘to be worshipped’

• द्वितीयः: the second
• द्वितीयः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक (ordinal)

• मधुसूदनः: Madhusūdana (slayer of Madhu)
• मधुसूदनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुसूदन (प्रातिपदिक; मधु + सूदन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘मधोः सूदनः’

• संकर्षणः: Saṃkarṣaṇa
• संकर्षणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकर्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तृतीयः: the third
• तृतीयः: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक (ordinal)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time sequence/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘thereafter/from that’

• दामोदरः: Dāmodara
• दामोदरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दामोदर (प्रातिपदिक; दामन् + उदर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘दाम्नः उदरम् यस्य’ (name-form)

• स्मृतः: is said/remembered (as)
• स्मृतः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृत (कृदन्त; √स्मृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘is called/remembered’ (elliptic passive)

Speaker

Gālava

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Paijavana

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic enumeration: four panels or a single composite showing Viṣṇu as Keśava, Madhusūdana, Saṃkarṣaṇa (with serpent/Ananta association), and Dāmodara (with waist-cord), each receiving offerings before a Śāligrāma pedestal.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava
• Madhusūdana
• Saṃkarṣaṇa
• Dāmodara
• Viṣṇu (as the named deity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship is guided through recognized divine names—specific Viṣṇu forms are invoked in an ordered enumeration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not a single site is named in this verse; it continues the Śāligrāma worship framework rooted in the Gaṇḍakī tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sequential worship (pūjā) using specific Viṣṇu names/forms beginning with Keśava.