Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 134

Devanagari script

अथर्वपाठकास्तेऽपि प्रयास्यंति परां गतिम् । मूर्खा अपि समागत्य संप्राप्ते सूर्यवासरे

Transliteration

atharvapāṭhakāste'pi prayāsyaṃti parāṃ gatim | mūrkhā api samāgatya saṃprāpte sūryavāsare

Translation

अथर्ववेदाचे पाठकही परम गतीस पोहोचतील. अगदी मूर्खही, केवळ सूर्यवार (रविवार) आला की येथे येऊन…

Word by Word

• atharva-pāṭhakāḥ: reciters of the Atharva (Veda)
• atharva-pāṭhakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atharva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṭhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (अथर्वणः पाठकाः)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भावबोधक अव्यय (particle)

• prayāsyanti: will go/attain
• prayāsyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• parām: supreme
• parām: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; गतिम् इति विशेषण

• gatim: state/goal
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• mūrkhāḥ: fools/ignorant people
• mūrkhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भावबोधक अव्यय (particle)

• samāgatya: having come together/arrived
• samāgatya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā-√gam (धातु) → samāgatya (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• saṃprāpte: when (it) has arrived
• saṃprāpte: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-pra-√āp (धातु) → saṃprāpta (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय; (काले) ‘when it has arrived’

• sūrya-vāsare: on Sunday (Sun’s day)
• sūrya-vāsare: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सूर्यस्य वासरः)

Speaker

Unspecified in this snippet (narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (contextual) Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims of mixed learning—Atharva reciters with ritual implements and ordinary villagers—arrive at a sacred spot on Sunday as the sun rises; a sense of open access to grace.

Characters & Entities

• Atharva-veda
• Sūrya-vāsara (Sunday)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s grace is expansive: both learned reciters and even ordinary visitors benefit when they approach on auspicious time (Sunday).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Sūrya-focused tīrtha in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, especially powerful on Sūrya-vāsara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Visiting/assembling on Sunday and (for specialists) Atharva-veda recitation.