Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

अथवा सोमवारेण यस्तं पश्यति मानवः । कृत्वा क्षणं सुभक्त्या यो यावत्संवत्सरं द्विजाः

Transliteration

athavā somavāreṇa yastaṃ paśyati mānavaḥ | kṛtvā kṣaṇaṃ subhaktyā yo yāvatsaṃvatsaraṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

किंवा, हे द्विजांनो! जो मनुष्य सोमवारी त्यांचे दर्शन घेतो, तो शुद्ध भक्तिभावाने क्षणभरही अर्पण करील तर जणू वर्षभराच्या सेवेचे फळ प्राप्त करतो।

Word by Word

• अथवा: or else
• अथवा: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक-समुच्चय/विकल्प (disjunctive particle: “or/else”)

• सोमवारेण: on Monday
• सोमवारेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमवार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; ‘सोमस्य वारः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समास (instrumental: “on/by Monday”)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• तम्: him/that (deity)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (demonstrative pronoun)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): “having done”

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (accusative of duration)

• सुभक्त्या: with sincere devotion
• सुभक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सु’ उपसर्गपूर्वक-विशेषणपूर्वपदेन कर्मधारय (instrumental: “with good devotion”)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• यावत्: for as long as
• यावत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/विशेषण)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-निर्देशक (quantifier: “as long as/for the extent of”)

• संवत्सरम्: a year
• संवत्सरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (accusative of duration)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि प्रयुज्यते (often used as vocative sense)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition in Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Suparṇākhya-deva-darśana (as named in the passage)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijas / assembled listeners

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim arrives on a Monday, offers a brief but intense act of devotion before the Suparṇa-named deity; the moment is shown as outweighing a year of service.

Characters & Entities

• Soma-vāra (Monday)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In a powerful kṣetra, even brief but genuine devotion—especially on Śiva’s favored day (Monday)—yields vast merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same Śiva-related sacred site within Adhyāya 82; the verse does not specify the place-name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (beholding the deity) on Somavāra (Monday) with sincere bhakti, even if only for a moment.