Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

गभस्तिर्धर्मराजश्च स्वर्णरेता दिवाकरः । मित्रश्च वासुदेवश्च द्वादशैते च भास्कराः

Transliteration

gabhastirdharmarājaśca svarṇaretā divākaraḥ | mitraśca vāsudevaśca dvādaśaite ca bhāskarāḥ

Translation

ഗഭസ്തി, ധർമ്മരാജൻ, സ്വർണരേതാ, ദിവാകരൻ, മിത്രൻ, വാസുദേവൻ— ഇവരാണ് ദ്വാദശ ഭാസ്കരന്മാർ (സൗരദേവതകൾ).

Word by Word

• गभस्तिः: Gabhasti (ray; a Sun-name)
• गभस्तिः: Karta (Subject in list/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gabhasti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (इकारान्त)

• धर्मराजः: Dharmarāja (king of dharma; Yama)
• धर्मराजः: Karta (Subject in list/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + rāja (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य राजा)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• स्वर्णरेताः: Svarṇaretā (golden-semen; a Sun-name)
• स्वर्णरेताः: Karta (Subject in list/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarṇa + retas (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (स्वर्णं रेतः यस्य/स्वर्णरेताः इति नाम)

• दिवाकरः: Divākara (maker of day; Sun)
• दिवाकरः: Karta (Subject in list/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divā + kara (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दिवायाः/दिवसस्य करणः)

• मित्रः: Mitra
• मित्रः: Karta (Subject in list/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• वासुदेवः: Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवः: Karta (Subject in list/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsudeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्या; अव्ययवत्)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral), प्रथमा, बहुवचनार्थे (used with plural ‘ete’)

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• भास्कराः: suns (Bhāskaras)
• भास्कराः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A twelve-spoked solar wheel (kāla-cakra) with twelve named Bhāskaras around it; below, pilgrims at a riverbank offering arghya at sunrise.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāskaras (Twelve Ādityas)
• Gabhasti
• Dharmarāja
• Svarṇaretā
• Divākara
• Mitra
• Vāsudeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Solar divinity is tied to dharma and life-order; naming the Bhāskaras frames the sun as a moral and cosmic regulator, not merely a physical luminary.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it concludes the twelvefold solar enumeration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is suited to nāma-recitation connected with Āditya worship.