Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन कन्यायज्ञ उपस्थिते । दमयंती प्रद्रष्टव्या पूजनीया प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena kanyāyajña upasthite | damayaṃtī pradraṣṭavyā pūjanīyā prayatnataḥ

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട്, കന്യായജ്ഞം (വിവാഹവിധി) അടുത്തുവരുമ്പോൾ ദമയന്തീദേവിയെ നിർബന്ധമായി ദർശിക്കണം; പരിശ്രമത്തോടെ പൂജിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Reason/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-प्रयोग (ablatival indeclinable sense: therefore/from that)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वः प्रयत्नः)

• कन्या: maiden
• कन्या: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (stem member in compound)

• यज्ञे: at the sacrifice
• यज्ञे: Adhikaraṇa (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• उपस्थिते: when (it is) present/has arrived
• उपस्थिते: Adhikaraṇa (Time/Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), सप्तमी, एकवचन, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-सम्बन्धे (locative absolute sense: when present/when it has arrived)

• दमयंती: Damayantī
• दमयंती: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दमयन्ती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रद्रष्टव्या: should be seen
• प्रद्रष्टव्या: Karya (Obligation/कार्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दृश् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/future passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (should be seen)

• पूजनीया: should be worshipped
• पूजनीया: Karya (Obligation/कार्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: अनीयर्/नीय-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (should be worshipped)

• प्रयत्नतः: carefully
• प्रयत्नतः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्नतः (अव्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb: carefully/with effort)

Speaker

Ascetic women (tāpasyāḥ), contextual

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Damayantī-darśana (as tīrtha focus in this passage)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A directive moment: elders instruct that when the kanyāyajña approaches, the family must go to Damayantī’s shrine for darśana and careful worship; the shrine stands as a gateway before the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Damayantī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Major life-rites should be anchored in reverence to sanctified exemplars and local divinities, performed with diligence and faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Damayantī-centered sacred setting within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrthamāhātmya is implied; the precise place-name is not given in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

At the time of kanyāyajña, one should take darśana of Damayantī and perform her pūjā with full effort.