Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

पौषे नारायणं देवं माघमासे तु माधवम् । गोविन्दं फाल्गुने मासि विष्णुं चैत्रे समर्चयेत्

Transliteration

pauṣe nārāyaṇaṃ devaṃ māghamāse tu mādhavam | govindaṃ phālgune māsi viṣṇuṃ caitre samarcayet

Translation

പൗഷത്തിൽ ദേവനായ നാരായണനെ, മാഘമാസത്തിൽ മാധവനെ, ഫാൽഗുണത്തിൽ ഗോവിന്ദനെ, ചൈത്രത്തിൽ വിഷ്ണുവിനെ യഥാവിധി സമർചിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• पौषे: in Pauṣa (month)
• पौषे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time)

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; नारायणम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषण-समनाधिकरण (appositional)

• माघमासे: in the month of Māgha
• माघमासे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघमास (प्रातिपदिक: माघ + मास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time)

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: 'but/indeed')

• माधवम्: Mādhava
• माधवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• गोविन्दम्: Govinda
• गोविन्दम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोविन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• फाल्गुने: in Phālguna
• फाल्गुने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time)

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time)

• विष्णुम्: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• चैत्रे: in Caitra
• चैत्रे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time)

• समर्चयेत्: should worship duly
• समर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A four-panel sequence showing the same Viṣṇu icon receiving offerings, with month banners: Pauṣa–Nārāyaṇa, Māgha–Mādhava, Phālguna–Govinda, Caitra–Viṣṇu; seasonal cues shift subtly in each panel.

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa
• Mādhava
• Govinda
• Viṣṇu
• Pauṣa
• Māgha
• Phālguna
• Caitra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time itself becomes sacred when each month is linked to a specific form-name of Viṣṇu and worship is made regular.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The focus is calendrical devotion (māsa-dharma), not a named pilgrimage site; it is taught within Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Monthly pūjā: Nārāyaṇa in Pauṣa, Mādhava in Māgha, Govinda in Phālguna, Viṣṇu in Caitra.