Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यत्र त्रिकालमासाद्य कर्म संध्यासमुद्भवम् । मर्त्यलोकं समासाद्य करोमि तदनंतरम्

Transliteration

yatra trikālamāsādya karma saṃdhyāsamudbhavam | martyalokaṃ samāsādya karomi tadanaṃtaram

Translation

അവിടെ ത്രികാല-സന്ധ്യാകാലങ്ങളിൽ ഞാൻ ആ സ്ഥലത്തെത്തി സന്ധ്യയിൽ നിന്നുയർന്ന കർമ്മങ്ങൾ (സന്ധ്യാവന്ദനം മുതലായവ) അനുഷ്ഠിക്കും; തുടർന്ന് മർത്ത്യലോകത്തിലേക്ക് വന്ന് യഥോചിതമായി പ്രവർത്തിക്കും।

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक/relative adverb)

• त्रिकालम्: the three times (morning-noon-evening)
• त्रिकालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; द्विगुसमास (त्रयः कालाः)

• आसाद्य: having reached/attained
• आसाद्य: Kriya-viseshana (पूर्वकालिक क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया—‘having reached/attained’

• कर्म: act/rite
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• संध्या-समुद्भवम्: arising from the twilight rites
• संध्या-समुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संध्या + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (संध्यायाः समुद्भवम्) विशेषणम् (कर्मणः)

• मर्त्यलोकम्: the mortal world
• मर्त्यलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मर्त्यानां लोकः)

• समासाद्य: having come to/arrived at
• समासाद्य: Kriya-viseshana (पूर्वकालिक क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया—‘having come/arrived’

• करोमि: I do/perform
• करोमि: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष? (actually उत्तमपुरुष), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; उत्तमपुरुष एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma/Avyaya-artha (contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (here adverbial ‘that’)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating Brahmā’s resolve/statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-like declaration at a sacred spot: a pilgrim/ascetic figure facing the horizon at dawn, noon, and dusk, performing sandhyā rites with water-offering; the sense is of time’s three thresholds sanctifying place.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Sandhyā (twilight rite)
• Martyaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes regular worship at the three daily times; tīrthas amplify and sanctify these disciplined practices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the origin setup for the Brahmā-associated tīrtha that will be identified through the Brāhmī Mahāśilā narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of Sandhyā-related rites at the three daily times (trikāla), connected to approaching a sacred locus.