Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

अथ ते दक्षमालोक्य समायातं स्वमाश्रयम् । संमुखाश्चाभ्ययुस्तूर्णं प्रगृहीतार्घ्यपाणयः

Transliteration

atha te dakṣamālokya samāyātaṃ svamāśrayam | saṃmukhāścābhyayustūrṇaṃ pragṛhītārghyapāṇayaḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ അവർ തങ്ങളുടെ ആശ്രമത്തിലേക്ക് വന്ന ദക്ഷനെ കണ്ടു, ഉടൻ തന്നെ മുന്നോട്ട് വന്നു; കൈകളിൽ അർഘ്യം പിടിച്ച് സ്വീകരിക്കാൻ ചെന്നു.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अनुक्रमार्थक

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• दक्षम्: Dakṣa
• दक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• आलोक्य: having seen
• आलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + लोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund); दृष्ट्वा (having seen)

• समायातम्: arrived
• समायातम्: Karma-visheshaṇa (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP); पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; आगतम् (having arrived)

• स्वम्: their own
• स्वम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; स्वकीय (one's own)

• आश्रयम्: abode/refuge
• आश्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• संमुखाः: facing (him)/in front
• संमुखाः: Karta-visheshaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संमुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• अभ्ययुः: went up/approached
• अभ्ययुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• तूर्णम्: quickly
• तूर्णम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः (quickly)

• प्रगृहीत-अर्घ्य-पाणयः: having hands holding the arghya-offering
• प्रगृहीत-अर्घ्य-पाणयः: Karta-visheshaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + ग्रह् (धातु) (प्रगृहीत) + अर्घ्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समासः (येषां पाणयः अर्घ्यं प्रगृहीतम् = whose hands have taken the arghya); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Narrator (third-person narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages rise from their seats as Dakṣa arrives; they step forward together, each holding a small arghya vessel (water in cupped hands or a ritual bowl), faces serene and welcoming, hermitage huts and sacred fire in background.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa
• Sages (Vālakhilyas implied)
• Arghya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honor to guests and elders (atithi-satkāra) is dharma; reverent reception sustains harmony between rulers and sages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse depicts a sages’ āśrama setting within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; no named tīrtha appears in the line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering arghya as a formal welcome is explicitly mentioned.