Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

ततः प्रभाते विमले कृतपूर्वाह्णिकक्रियः । रामः सीतां समादाय प्रस्थितो दक्षिणां दिशम्

Transliteration

tataḥ prabhāte vimale kṛtapūrvāhṇikakriyaḥ | rāmaḥ sītāṃ samādāya prasthito dakṣiṇāṃ diśam

Translation

പിന്നീട് നിർമ്മലമായ പ്രഭാതത്തിൽ, പ്രാതഃകർമ്മങ്ങൾ പൂർത്തിയാക്കി, രാമൻ സീതയെ കൂട്ടിക്കൊണ്ട് ദക്ഷിണദിശയിലേക്കു പുറപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: then)

• prabhāte: at dawn
• prabhāte: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• vimale: clear, pure
• vimale: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying prabhāte)

• kṛta-pūrvāhṇika-kriyaḥ: having performed the morning rites
• kṛta-pūrvāhṇika-kriyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त) + pūrvāhṇika (प्रातिपदिक) + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (kṛtā pūrvāhṇikā kriyā yena = who has performed the morning rites); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying rāmaḥ)

• rāmaḥ: Rāma
• rāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• sītām: Sītā
• sītām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sītā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• samādāya: having taken (with him)
• samādāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल; 'having taken along'

• prasthitaḥ: set out, departed
• prasthitaḥ: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√sthā (धातु) → prasthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past participle used predicatively), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• dakṣiṇām: southern
• dakṣiṇām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying diśam)

• diśam: direction
• diśam: Karma (Goal/direction as object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Clear dawn: Rāma serene after completing morning rites, taking Sītā by the hand; gentle light; the party begins moving south; forest brightening; sense of renewed order.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Sītā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and sacred travel are grounded in nitya-karma—daily rites and purity of routine support higher spiritual aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The movement points toward Gokarṇa, a renowned Śiva-kṣetra praised in this Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of pūrvāhṇika-kriyā (morning daily duties such as purification and prayer) before setting out.