Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

वसवस्त्वा कृण्वन्निति मन्त्रेणानेन भक्तितः । नैवेद्यं च ततो दद्याद्वसवश्छंदसाविति

Transliteration

vasavastvā kṛṇvanniti mantreṇānena bhaktitaḥ | naivedyaṃ ca tato dadyādvasavaśchaṃdasāviti

Translation

‘വസവസ്ത്വാ കൃണ്വൻ…’ എന്ന മന്ത്രത്തോടെ ഭക്തിയോടെ (ആവാഹനം/പൂജ) ചെയ്ത്, തുടർന്ന് നൈവേദ്യം അർപ്പിക്കണം; പിന്നെയും ‘വസവശ്ഛന്ദസാവ്…’ എന്ന സൂത്രത്തോടെ പൂജ തുടരുക.

Word by Word

• vasavaḥ: the Vasus
• vasavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tvā: you
• tvā: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular) — ‘त्वाम्’ का वैदिक/छान्दस रूप (enclitic)

• kṛṇvan: doing/making
• kṛṇvan: Karta (Agent in mantra/कर्ता)
• Type: Kridanta
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular) — मन्त्रपद (Vedic)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इत्यादि-निर्देशक (quotative marker)

• mantreṇa: by the mantra
• mantreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• anena: by this
• anena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक (Masculine/Neuter), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhaktitaḥ: out of devotion
• bhaktitaḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular) — हेतौ (in sense of cause: ‘out of devotion’)

• naivedyam: food offering (naivedya)
• naivedyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (and)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kala (Sequence/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अपादानार्थक (then/thereafter; from that)

• dadyāt: should give/offer
• dadyāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• vasavaḥ: (the) Vasus
• vasavaḥ: Sambandha (Reference/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural) — मन्त्रनाम-निर्देशः

• chandasā: with the Vedic metre/chant
• chandasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chandas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular) — छान्दस-प्रयोगे ‘छन्दसा’

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इत्यादि-निर्देशक (quotative)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa-śreṣṭha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee before an altar representing the eight Vasus, hands in añjali, reciting Vedic-sounding mantras; lamps flicker as he places naivedya on a leaf-plate, then continues with the second formula.

Characters & Entities

• Vasu (Aṣṭa-Vasu)
• Mantra
• Naivedya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed through mantra and offering (naivedya) is a complete form of worship endorsed by Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rite is taught within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Chant the indicated Vasu-mantras and then offer naivedya as part of the Vasu worship sequence.