Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तत्र संक्रमते सूर्यो मुंडीरे रजनीक्षये । कालप्रिये च मध्याह्ने मूलस्थाने क्षपागमे

Transliteration

tatra saṃkramate sūryo muṃḍīre rajanīkṣaye | kālapriye ca madhyāhne mūlasthāne kṣapāgame

Translation

അവിടെ സൂര്യൻ മുണ്ഡീരത്തിൽ രാത്രിയുടെ അവസാനം, കാലപ്രിയത്തിൽ മധ്യാഹ്നത്തിൽ, മൂലസ്ഥാനത്തിൽ രാത്രിയുടെ ആഗമനത്തിൽ പ്രത്യേകമായി സംക്രമിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) — there

• saṃkramate: transits/moves
• saṃkramate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-√kram (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — moves/transits

• sūryaḥ: the Sun
• sūryaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — the Sun

• muṇḍīre: at Muṇḍīra
• muṇḍīre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muṇḍīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — in/at Muṇḍīra

• rajanīkṣaye: at night’s end (dawn)
• rajanīkṣaye: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rajanī (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — at the end of night

• kālapriye: at Kālapriya
• kālapriye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kālapriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — in/at Kālapriya

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — and

• madhyāhne: at midday
• madhyāhne: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhyāhna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — at midday

• mūlasthāne: at Mūlasthāna
• mūlasthāne: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūlasthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — in/at Mūlasthāna

• kṣapāgame: at nightfall
• kṣapāgame: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣapā (प्रातिपदिक) + āgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — at the coming of night

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Muṇḍīra–Kālapriya–Mūlasthāna (time-aligned Bhāskara stations)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A triptych of the same landscape across three times: pre-dawn at Muṇḍīra, blazing noon at Kālapriya, and twilight at Mūlasthāna; the Sun’s presence is ‘entering’ each station.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Muṇḍīra
• Kālapriya
• Mūlasthāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time (kāla) is sanctified: dawn, noon, and dusk are portrayed as privileged moments for divine encounter at specific tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Muṇḍīra, Kālapriya, and Mūlasthāna—three solar tīrthas whose glory is tied to distinct times of day.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied darśana/worship aligned to sandhyā-times: dawn at Muṇḍīra, noon at Kālapriya, and dusk at Mūlasthāna.