Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

यथोषश्चक्रवाक्यश्च वांछन्ति रवि दर्शनम् । पितरस्तद्वदिच्छंति श्राद्धं दर्शसमुद्भवम्

Transliteration

yathoṣaścakravākyaśca vāṃchanti ravi darśanam | pitarastadvadicchaṃti śrāddhaṃ darśasamudbhavam

Translation

ഉഷസ്സും ചക്രവാകപ്പക്ഷിയും സൂര്യദർശനം ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ, പിതൃഗണങ്ങളും ദർശ-അമാവാസ്യയോട് ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ശ്രാദ്ധം ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक

• उषाः: dawn
• उषाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उषस्/उषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• चक्रवाक्यः: the cakravāka bird
• चक्रवाक्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्रवाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• वाञ्छन्ति: desire
• वाञ्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वाञ्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• रवि: of the sun
• रवि: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (रवेः) — पद्ये रूप-लोप/प्रयोगः

• दर्शनम्: sight; seeing
• दर्शनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पितरः: the ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तद्वत्: likewise
• तद्वत्: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्वत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘like that’

• इच्छन्ति: desire
• इच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्/इच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha offering/rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दर्श-समुद्भवम्: arising from the Darśa (new-moon) day
• दर्श-समुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दर्श (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुषः ‘दर्शात् समुद्भवम्’ (arising from the new-moon day)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic narrator within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: rosy dawn (uṣas) and a pair of cakravāka birds gazing toward the rising Sun; in a parallel plane, subtle Pitṛs look toward a household where śrāddha is to be offered on Darśa.

Characters & Entities

• Pitaras
• Darśa (new moon rite)
• Ravi (Sun)
• Uṣas (dawn)
• Cakravāka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśa (new moon) is singled out as a spiritually potent time when ancestors strongly await remembrance and offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The line underscores the sanctity of the Darśa observance within a tirtha-glorifying chapter; no single tirtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Darśa-related Śrāddha (amāvāsyā śrāddha) for the satisfaction of the Pitṛs.