Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

वटवृक्षं समाश्रित्य श्रद्धया परया युतः । स्थापयित्वा रवेरर्चां यथोक्तां पंचरात्रिके

Transliteration

vaṭavṛkṣaṃ samāśritya śraddhayā parayā yutaḥ | sthāpayitvā raverarcāṃ yathoktāṃ paṃcarātrike

Translation

വടവൃക്ഷത്തിന്റെ ആശ്രയം സ്വീകരിച്ച്, പരമശ്രദ്ധയോടെ, പാഞ്ചരാത്രവിധിപ്രകാരം രവി (സൂര്യൻ) ആരാധനയ്ക്കായി പ്രതിമ സ്ഥാപിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• वटवृक्षम्: the banyan tree
• वटवृक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa + vṛkṣa (वट-प्रातिपदिक + वृक्ष-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समास (वटः एव वृक्षः) — 'banyan tree' (object of resorting)

• समाश्रित्य: having resorted to
• समाश्रित्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√śri (श्रि धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययकृदन्त — 'having taken refuge (in), having resorted to'

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (श्रद्धा-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — 'with faith'

• परया: supreme, intense
• परया: Karaṇa (Instrument qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parā (परा-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies श्रद्धया) — 'supreme, intense'

• युतः: endowed (with)
• युतः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuta (युत-प्रातिपदिक; √yuj/युज् भाव)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'endowed/connected (with)' (with श्रद्धया परया)

• स्थापयित्वा: having installed
• स्थापयित्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā + causative (स्था धातु, णिच्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive) of causative स्थापयति — 'having स्थापित (set up/installed)'

• रवेः: of the Sun
• रवेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ravi (रवि-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — 'of the Sun'

• अर्चाम्: the icon (image)
• अर्चाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arcā (अर्चा-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — 'image/icon/worship-form'

• यथोक्ताम्: as prescribed
• यथोक्ताम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yathā + ukta (यथा अव्यय + उक्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'उक्त', स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-समासभाव (yathā-ukta = 'as said') — qualifies अर्चाम्

• पंचरात्रिके: in the Pañcarātra tradition/text
• पंचरात्रिके: Adhikaraṇa (Reference/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcarātrika (पञ्चरात्रिक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (ग्रन्थनाम), सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — 'in the Pañcarātrika (text/tradition)'

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in Tīrthamāhātmya context; specific speaker not stated in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Under a vast banyan with hanging aerial roots, Gālava reverently sets up a Sūrya arcā (image) on a clean altar, performing prescribed rites with focused faith.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṭavṛkṣa (banyan)
• Ravi/Sūrya
• Pañcarātra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion becomes concrete through disciplined, scripture-aligned worship—faith expressed as proper installation and veneration of the deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A kṣetra associated with a vaṭavṛkṣa and Sūrya worship is implied; the exact place-name is not given in the verse snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcā-sthāpana (installation of an icon) of Ravi/Sūrya following Pañcarātra injunctions.