Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

वटेश्वरसुतान्दृष्ट्वा पौत्रांश्च द्विजसत्तमाः । गालवः सूर्यमापन्नः कृत्वा सुविपुलं तपः

Transliteration

vaṭeśvarasutāndṛṣṭvā pautrāṃśca dvijasattamāḥ | gālavaḥ sūryamāpannaḥ kṛtvā suvipulaṃ tapaḥ

Translation

ഹേ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠന്മാരേ! വടേശ്വരന്റെ പുത്രന്മാരെയും പൗത്രന്മാരെയും ദർശിച്ച് ഗാലവൻ അതിവിപുലമായ തപസ്സു ചെയ്ത് സൂര്യലോകം പ്രാപിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• वटेश्वर-सुतान्: sons of Vaṭeśvara
• वटेश्वर-सुतान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वटेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वटेश्वरस्य सुताः)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; ‘having seen’

• पौत्रान्: grandsons
• पौत्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• द्विज-सत्तमाः: the best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विज-सत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रेष्ठा द्विजाः)

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सूर्यम्: the Sun (as deity)
• सूर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आपन्नः: having approached / having resorted to
• आपन्नः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आपद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः ‘प्राप्तः/शरणं गतः’

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; ‘having done’

• सुविपुलम्: very great
• सुविपुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः-विशेषण)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgara Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaṭāditya / Vaṭeśvara-Sūrya-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-sattamāḥ (addressed brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Gālava, austere and radiant from penance, beholds Vaṭeśvara’s sons and grandsons; above, a solar orb with a subtle chariot motif suggests his ‘attainment of Ravi’.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṭeśvara
• Gālava
• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A fulfilled householder blessing (lineage) and a sage’s culmination (tapas leading to divine attainment) are both upheld as dharmic fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vaṭa-linked Sūrya tīrtha context in which Vaṭeśvara’s family line becomes a testimony to the site’s power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is highlighted as the means by which Gālava attains Sūrya.