Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

अद्यप्रभृति यः कश्चिद्यज्ञं भूमौ समाचरेत् । तस्मिन्सदसि मध्यस्था मूर्तिः कार्या यथा मम

Transliteration

adyaprabhṛti yaḥ kaścidyajñaṃ bhūmau samācaret | tasminsadasi madhyasthā mūrtiḥ kāryā yathā mama

Translation

ഇന്നുമുതൽ ഭൂമിയിൽ ആരെങ്കിലും യാഗം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, ആ യാഗസഭയിൽ (സദസ്സിൽ) നടുവിൽ എന്റെ രൂപസദൃശമായ ഒരു മൂർത്തി നിർമ്മിച്ച് സ്ഥാപിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• अद्यप्रभृति: from today onward
• अद्यप्रभृति: Adverbial (काल/Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य-प्रभृति (अव्ययीभाव-समास)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; अव्ययीभाव—“अद्य आरभ्य”

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कश्चित्: someone/anyone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थ (indefinite)

• यज्ञम्: a sacrifice
• यज्ञम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भूमौ: on the ground/earth
• भूमौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• सदसि: in the assembly (hall)
• सदसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सदस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मध्यस्था: standing in the middle
• मध्यस्था: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्य-स्था (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—“मध्ये स्थिता”

• मूर्तिः: an image/form
• मूर्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कार्या: to be made / should be made
• कार्या: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (कृदन्त; कृ-धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण; भविष्यत्कर्तव्यता (gerundive/तव्यत्/यत् sense)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Manner (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (as/according to)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

Speaker

Audumbarī (continuing boon/request context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Udgātṛ (and by extension all ritualists)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Audumbarī proclaims a new ordinance: in every yajña, her likeness should be fashioned and installed at the very center of the sadas, making the hall geometrically and spiritually centered on her presence.

Characters & Entities

• Audumbarī
• Yajña
• Sadas
• Mūrti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacrifice is not merely an act but a sanctified space: installing a central sacred form (mūrti) sacralizes the yajña and aligns it with divine presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse provides a general yajña rule; it does not name a particular tīrtha, though it belongs to a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A mūrti (image) in Audumbarī’s likeness should be made and installed at the center of the yajña-sadas for sacrifices performed on earth.