Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तत्रागत्य च काकुत्स्थो यज्ञायोत्सुकमानसः । चकार निर्मलां बुद्धिं निजवंशोचितक्रियाम

Transliteration

tatrāgatya ca kākutstho yajñāyotsukamānasaḥ | cakāra nirmalāṃ buddhiṃ nijavaṃśocitakriyāma

Translation

അവിടെ എത്തിച്ചേർന്ന കാകുത്സ്ഥ രാജാവ് യജ്ഞത്തിനായി ഉത്സുകചിത്തനായി; ബുദ്ധിയെ നിർമലമാക്കി, സ്വന്തം വംശോചിത കർമങ്ങൾ അനുഷ്ഠിക്കുവാൻ നിശ്ചയിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; deśa-avyaya (locative adverb)

• āgatya: having come
• āgatya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु; गम् ‘to go’)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्), pūrvakāla-kriyā; with prefix ā- implied (‘having come’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; samuccaya (conjunction)

• kākutsthaḥ: Kākutstha (scion of Kakutstha)
• kākutsthaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kākutstha (प्रातिपदिक; proper epithet)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana

• yajñāya: for the sacrifice
• yajñāya: Sampradāna (Purpose/Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī-vibhakti (Dative/4th), Ekavacana; prayojana (purpose)

• utsuka-mānasaḥ: eager-minded
• utsuka-mānasaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: utsuka (प्रातिपदिक) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya-samāsa: utsukaṃ mānasaṃ yasya (‘whose mind is eager’); Puṃliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of ‘kākutsthaḥ’

• cakāra: made, did
• cakāra: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु; कृ ‘to do, make’)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• nirmalām: pure, spotless
• nirmalām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of ‘buddhim’

• buddhim: intention, resolve, mind
• buddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Ekavacana

• nija-vaṃśa-ucita-kriyām: (resolve) for rites proper to his own dynasty
• nija-vaṃśa-ucita-kriyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक) + vaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक) + ucita (कृदन्त; √uc/उच्? ‘to be fitting’ as adjective ‘proper’) + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa (multi-member, predominantly Tatpuruṣa): nijasya vaṃśasya ucitā kriyā (‘a rite fitting to one’s own lineage’); Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of ‘buddhim’ (i.e., resolve for such rites)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa Ayodhyāmāhātmya narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Raghu/Kakutstha prince arrives in Ayodhyā, mind intent on yajña; he pauses, composes himself, and takes a solemn, purified resolve before commencing lineage-appropriate rites.

Characters & Entities

• Kākutstha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A yajña begins with inner purity—clean intention and dharmic resolve precede outward ritual.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Ayodhyā, the sacred city where dharmic kingship culminates in sacrificial worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse emphasizes readiness for yajña and performing rites appropriate to one’s varṇa and lineage, rather than listing specific offerings.