Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

वटेश्वरोऽपि संज्ञाय पित्रा संस्थापितं रविम् । तदर्थं कारयामास प्रासादं सुमनोहरम्

Transliteration

vaṭeśvaro'pi saṃjñāya pitrā saṃsthāpitaṃ ravim | tadarthaṃ kārayāmāsa prāsādaṃ sumanoharam

Translation

വടേശ്വരനും തന്റെ പിതാവ് അവിടെ രവിയെ (സൂര്യദേവനെ) സ്ഥാപിച്ചതെന്ന് അറിഞ്ഞ്, അതിനായിട്ടുതന്നെ അതിമനോഹരമായ ഒരു പ്രാസാദം (ക്ഷേത്രം) പണിയിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• वटेश्वरः: Vaṭeśvara
• वटेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वटेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (‘also’)

• संज्ञाय: having understood
• संज्ञाय: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), ‘having come to know/recognised’

• पित्रा: by (his) father
• पित्रा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ), एकवचन

• संस्थापितम्: installed
• संस्थापितम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्थापितम्’ (set up/installed)

• रविम्: the Sun (Ravi)
• रविम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तदर्थम्: for that purpose
• तदर्थम्: Hetu/Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययत्वेन प्रयुक्तम् (for that purpose)

• कारयामास: caused (it) to be built
• कारयामास: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative) ‘caused to be made’

• प्रासादम्: a temple/palace
• प्रासादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सु-मनोहरम्: very beautiful
• सु-मनोहरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (प्रासाद-विशेषण)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgara Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaṭāditya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija audience (implied from surrounding address)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vaṭeśvara, reverent and resolute, oversees artisans raising a beautiful prāsāda for Sūrya; the sanctum glows with a solar emblem; banyan presence hints the epithet Vaṭāditya.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṭeśvara
• Ravi (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Establishing and supporting a deity’s shrine is portrayed as a lasting dharmic act that anchors sacred presence in a place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vaṭāditya locale where Ravi is said to have been established and honored with a prāsāda (temple).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Deity installation/establishment (saṃsthāpana) and commissioning a temple for worship.