Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

सेवस्व वर्षमेकं त्वं त्रिकालं भक्तिपूर्वकम् । प्रदक्षिणप्रक्रमणं नमस्कारं च वै कुरु

Transliteration

sevasva varṣamekaṃ tvaṃ trikālaṃ bhaktipūrvakam | pradakṣiṇaprakramaṇaṃ namaskāraṃ ca vai kuru

Translation

“ഒരു പൂർണ്ണ വർഷം ആ പ്രഭുവിനെ സേവിക്ക— ദിനത്തിൽ മൂന്നു കാലവും ഭക്തിപൂർവ്വം. പ്രദക്ഷിണയും സാഷ്ടാംഗ നമസ്കാരവും ചെയ്യുക।”

Word by Word

• सेवस्व: serve/worship
• सेवस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वर्षम्: for a year
• वर्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणम्

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (वर्षम् इति विशेषणम्)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• त्रिकालम्: thrice daily
• त्रिकालम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adverb
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण — ‘three times a day’

• भक्ति-पूर्वकम्: devoutly
• भक्ति-पूर्वकम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adverb
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; क्रियाविशेषणम् — ‘with devotion’

• प्रदक्षिण-प्रक्रमणम्: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिण-प्रक्रमणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिण (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + प्रक्रमण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः — ‘act of circumambulation’

• नमस्कारम्: salutation
• नमस्कारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• कुरु: do
• कुरु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

A bodiless divine voice (continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmanātha at Rāmasetu

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaṅkara (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee-king performing tri-kāla worship over seasons: lamps at dawn, offerings at midday, ārati at dusk; repeated pradakṣiṇā around the liṅga and full prostrations in the temple courtyard.

Characters & Entities

• Rāmanātha (implied)
• Pradakṣiṇā
• Namaskāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady, time-bound devotion (vrata-like discipline) transforms the devotee—purification arises from consistency, not occasional acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction pertains to worship at Rāmasetu’s Rāmanātha shrine (Rāmeśvaram sacral zone).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

One-year sevā with trikāla observance, plus pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) and namaskāra (prostration).