Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

भास्कर उवाच । न वयं श्रद्धया तस्य गिरेः कुर्मः प्रदक्षिणाम् । एष मे विहितः पन्था येनेदं विहितं जगत्

Transliteration

bhāskara uvāca | na vayaṃ śraddhayā tasya gireḥ kurmaḥ pradakṣiṇām | eṣa me vihitaḥ panthā yenedaṃ vihitaṃ jagat

Translation

भास्कर म्हणाला— “आम्ही त्या गिरीची प्रदक्षिणा वैयक्तिक श्रद्धेमुळे करत नाही. माझ्यासाठी हाच विधात्याने ठरवलेला मार्ग आहे; याच मार्गाने हे जग व्यवस्थित झाले आहे.”

Word by Word

• bhāskaraḥ: Bhāskara (the Sun)
• bhāskaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्) (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Plural)

• śraddhayā: with faith
• śraddhayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• tasya: of that (mountain)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग

• gireḥ: of the mountain
• gireḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• kurmaḥ: we do
• kurmaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• pradakṣiṇām: circumambulation
• pradakṣiṇām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• me: my, for me
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• vihitaḥ: ordained, prescribed
• vihitaḥ: Karta-dharma (Predicate adjective/कर्तृधर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√dhā (धा) (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying panthā)

• panthāḥ: path, course
• panthāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pathin/panthan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (irregular stem panthan-)

• yena: by which
• yena: Karaṇa (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग

• idam: this
• idam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र द्वितीया (object)

• vihitam: arranged, ordained
• vihitam: Karta-dharma (Predicate adjective/कर्तृधर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√dhā (धा) (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र विशेषण (qualifying jagat)

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (subject of passive sense: ‘is ordained’)

Speaker

Bhāskara (Sūrya, the Sun)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūrya speaks with serene authority from his chariot, indicating a fixed celestial route—an impersonal law governing the world.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāskara (Sūrya)
• Meru
• Vindhya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is the divinely appointed order that sustains the world; even the mighty act according to what is ordained, not ego or favoritism.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse reinforces the sanctity of cosmic geography (Meru and the solar course) within a tīrtha-māhātmya framework, rather than praising a single named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; pradakṣiṇā appears as a symbol of ordered movement and reverence, but no specific vrata or dāna is taught here.