Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 112

Devanagari script

वाकारो धूम्रवर्णश्च सूर्यबीजं मनोजवम् । पुलस्त्यर्षिसमायुक्तं नियुक्तं सर्वसौख्यदम्

Transliteration

vākāro dhūmravarṇaśca sūryabījaṃ manojavam | pulastyarṣisamāyuktaṃ niyuktaṃ sarvasaukhyadam

Translation

‘വ’ അക്ഷരം ധൂമ്രവർണ്ണമുള്ളത്; അത് സൂര്യന്റെ ബീജമന്ത്രം, മനസ്സുപോലെ വേഗമുള്ളത്. പുലസ്ത്യ ഋഷിയോടു സംയുക്തമായി വിധിപൂർവ്വം പ്രയോഗിച്ചാൽ അത് സർവ്വസൗഖ്യവും നൽകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• वाकारः: the syllable ‘va’
• वाकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व-कार (प्रातिपदिक; व + कार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• धूम्रवर्णः: smoke-colored
• धूम्रवर्णः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धूम्र-वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक; धूम्र + वर्ण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• सूर्यबीजम्: the seed-mantra of the Sun
• सूर्यबीजम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य-बीज (प्रातिपदिक; सूर्य + बीज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• मनोजवम्: swift as the mind
• मनोजवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनस्-जव (प्रातिपदिक; मनस् + जव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• पुलस्त्यर्षिसमायुक्तम्: associated with sage Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यर्षिसमायुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुलस्त्य-ऋषि-समायुक्त (प्रातिपदिक; पुलस्त्य + ऋषि + समायुक्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• नियुक्तम्: appointed/assigned
• नियुक्तम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicative qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-युज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• सर्वसौख्यदम्: giving all happiness
• सर्वसौख्यदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-सौख्य-द (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + सौख्य + द)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Brahmā (in Brahma–Nārada dialogue; inferred from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mantra-diagrammatic scene: the syllable ‘va’ glowing smoky-grey, a radiant Sun-disc behind, sage Pulastya seated as ṛṣi, a practitioner offering arghya at dawn.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Pulastya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Correctly applied mantra (with proper seer-attribution and discipline) is said to generate comprehensive auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

It appears within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya section of the Nāgara-khaṇḍa, where practices are taught in a tīrtha-glorifying frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-japa/niyoga is implied: the ‘va’ solar bīja is to be employed with proper tradition (ṛṣi Pulastya) for auspicious results.