Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

यामाराधयते विष्णुर्ब्रह्मा रुद्रश्च वासवः । वांछितार्थं सदा देवीं वरं तस्या वृणो म्यहम्

Transliteration

yāmārādhayate viṣṇurbrahmā rudraśca vāsavaḥ | vāṃchitārthaṃ sadā devīṃ varaṃ tasyā vṛṇo myaham

Translation

വിഷ്ണുവും ബ്രഹ്മാവും രുദ്രനും ഇന്ദ്രനും ആരെയാണോ ആരാധിക്കുന്നത്, ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന കാര്യങ്ങൾ എപ്പോഴും നൽകുന്ന ആ ദേവിയിൽ നിന്ന് ഞാൻ വരം ചോദിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• yām: whom
• yām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• ārādhayate: worships
• ārādhayate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√rādh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• rudraḥ: Rudra
• rudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• vāsavaḥ: Vāsava (Indra)
• vāsavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vāṃchita-artham: the desired boon/object
• vāṃchita-artham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāṃchita (कृदन्त; √vāñch) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (vāṃchitaḥ arthaḥ)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• devīm: the Goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vṛṇomi: I choose/request
• vṛṇomi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛ (वृञ् वरणे) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Viṣakanyakā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A supplicant (tapasvī or devotee) declares choosing a boon from the Goddess revered by the Trimūrti and Indra; the four deities appear in the background in worship posture, establishing her supremacy.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā
• Rudra
• Vāsava (Indra)
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest Goddess is affirmed as the refuge even of the greatest gods; devotion to her is portrayed as the sure path to fulfillment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse primarily glorifies the Devī (and her boon-bestowing power) within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter; the geographic tīrtha is not named here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ārādhana (propitiatory worship) is indicated—worship of the Goddess as the means to obtain vāṃchitārtha (desired aims).