Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

तुलसी वल्लभा नित्यं चातुर्मास्ये विशेषतः । शालिग्रामो महाविष्णुस्तुलसी श्रीर्न संशयः

Transliteration

tulasī vallabhā nityaṃ cāturmāsye viśeṣataḥ | śāligrāmo mahāviṣṇustulasī śrīrna saṃśayaḥ

Translation

തുളസി നിത്യവും പ്രിയമാണ്, പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ചാതുര്മാസ്യത്തിൽ. ശാലിഗ്രാമം തന്നെയാണ് മഹാവിഷ്ണു; തുളസിയാണ് ശ്രീ (ലക്ഷ്മി)—ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല.

Word by Word

• तुलसी: Tulasī
• तुलसी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वल्लभा: beloved
• वल्लभा: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वल्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणार्थे अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः (always)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (कालाधिकरण)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (in particular/especially)

• शालिग्रामः: Śālagrāma
• शालिग्रामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालिग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महाविष्णुः: Mahāviṣṇu
• महाविष्णुः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (महान् विष्णुः)

• तुलसी: Tulasī
• तुलसी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रीः: Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• श्रीः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: no / not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निषेधेन सह: 'no doubt'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śāligrāma (Kali-Gaṇḍakī) and Tulasī-sevā (vrata-context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene domestic shrine: a black Śāligrāma on a pedestal, a Tulasī plant nearby, lamps lit; the atmosphere of Cāturmāsya with rain clouds outside and devotees offering leaves.

Characters & Entities

• Tulasī
• Cāturmāsya
• Śāligrāma
• Mahāviṣṇu
• Śrī (Lakṣmī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse sacralizes worship by identifying Śāligrāma with Viṣṇu and Tulasī with Śrī, emphasizing heightened merit in Cāturmāsya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The focus is devotional theology (Śāligrāma–Tulasī) within Tīrthamāhātmya; no single named pilgrimage site is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give special priority to Tulasī offerings during Cāturmāsya in Śāligrāma/Viṣṇu worship.