Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

अशक्तश्चेन्नित्यमेकमर्घ्यं दद्याद्दिवाकृते । ततोऽत्र रथसप्तम्यां कुंडे देयः प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

aśaktaścennityamekamarghyaṃ dadyāddivākṛte | tato'tra rathasaptamyāṃ kuṃḍe deyaḥ prayatnataḥ

Translation

ആർക്കെങ്കിലും അശക്തിയുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ നിത്യവും ദിവാകരനു കുറഞ്ഞത് ഒരു അര്‍ഘ്യം എങ്കിലും നല്‍കണം. എന്നാല്‍ ഈ വ്രതത്തില്‍ രഥസപ്തമിദിനം കുണ്ഡത്തില്‍ പ്രത്യേക പരിശ്രമത്തോടെ അര്‍ഘ്യം അര്‍പ്പിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• अशक्तः: unable
• अशक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (unable)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अव्यय-प्रकारः: निपातः/समुच्चय-शर्त (conditional particle: ‘if’)

• नित्यम्: daily
• नित्यम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverbial accusative: ‘always/daily’)

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; अर्घ्यम् इति विशेषणम्

• अर्घ्यम्: arghya-offering
• अर्घ्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• दिवा-कृते: to the Sun (day-maker)
• दिवा-कृते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवा (अव्यय) + कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (दिवा करोति इति दिवाकृत् ‘Sun’), चतुर्थी (recipient: ‘to/for’)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (then)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (here/in this rite)

• रथ-सप्तम्याम्: on Rathasaptamī
• रथ-सप्तम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक) + सप्तमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (रथस्य सप्तमी ‘Rathasaptamī’ festival day)

• कुण्डे: in the pit/kuṇḍa
• कुण्डे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• देयः: is to be given
• देयः: Kriya (Obligation predicate/क्रिया-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) → देय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययः (यत्), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विधेयार्थः (to be given)

• प्रयत्नतः: carefully
• प्रयत्नतः: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्ययम् (ablatival adverb: ‘with effort/carefully’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhaṭṭāditya-kuṇḍa (implied)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee at a temple kuṇḍa offers a single arghya at sunrise; a second vignette shows Rathasaptamī with more elaborate arrangement—clean vessels, flowers, and gathered pilgrims.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya (Divākṛt)
• Rathasaptamī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even minimal daily practice is meritorious, but sacred calendrical moments like Rathasaptamī call for heightened devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific location is named; the focus is on a festival-observance (Rathasaptamī) within Sūrya worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer at least one daily arghya to Sūrya; on Rathasaptamī, offer arghya with special care into the kuṇḍa.