Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । चंद्रसूर्योपरागे वा अयने विषुवे तथा । तीर्थे वा पुरुषश्रेष्ठ तुलापुरुषसंभवम्

Transliteration

bhartṛyajña uvāca | caṃdrasūryoparāge vā ayane viṣuve tathā | tīrthe vā puruṣaśreṣṭha tulāpuruṣasaṃbhavam

Translation

ഭർത്തൃയജ്ഞൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ പുരുഷശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! ചന്ദ്രഗ്രഹണമോ സൂര്യഗ്രഹണമോ, അയനകാലമോ, വിഷുവദിനമോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഏതെങ്കിലും തീർത്ഥത്തിലോ—തുലാപുരുഷ കർമ്മം നടത്താം।

Word by Word

• भर्तृयज्ञः: Bhartṛyajña (speaker)
• भर्तृयज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• चन्द्रसूर्योपरागे: at a lunar or solar eclipse
• चन्द्रसूर्योपरागे: Adhikarana (Location/occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + उपराग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• अयने: at the solstice (ayana)
• अयने: Adhikarana (Location/occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विषुवे: at the equinox
• विषुवे: Adhikarana (Location/occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• तीर्थे: at a sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle ‘or’)

• पुरुषश्रेष्ठ: O best of men
• पुरुषश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तुलापुरुषसम्भवम्: the Tulāpuruṣa rite/act (arising as Tulāpuruṣa)
• तुलापुरुषसम्भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddheśvara (contextual) / any tīrtha (explicit)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ānarta (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage enumerates auspicious occasions: sun and moon eclipses, solstices, equinoxes, and tīrthas—suggesting a cosmic calendar overlaying pilgrimage practice.

Characters & Entities

• Bhartṛyajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred timing (kāla) and sacred place (tīrtha) amplify dharmic acts; charity is aligned with cosmically significant moments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Any tīrtha is indicated as a fitting venue; the chapter’s broader tīrtha context supplies the specific locale being praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Tulāpuruṣa (a major dāna-rite) on eclipses, solstices, equinoxes, or at a tīrtha.