Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

मासद्वादशनामानि विष्णोर्यो भक्तितत्परः । शालग्रामेषु तान्युक्त्वा न्यसेदघहराणि च

Transliteration

māsadvādaśanāmāni viṣṇoryo bhaktitatparaḥ | śālagrāmeṣu tānyuktvā nyasedaghaharāṇi ca

Translation

Sesiapa yang tekun dalam bhakti hendaklah melafazkan dua belas nama bulanan Viṣṇu; setelah menyebutnya di atas batu Śālagrāma, hendaklah ia meletakkannya sebagai nyāsa, kerana ia menghapus dosa.

Word by Word

• मासद्वादशनामानि: the twelve month-names
• मासद्वादशनामानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास-द्वादश-नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समासः: मासानां द्वादश नामानि (genitive-tatpuruṣa)

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

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

• भक्तितत्परः: devotion-oriented, devoted
• भक्तितत्परः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति-तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of yaḥ); समासः: भक्तौ तत्परः (locative-tatpuruṣa)

• शालग्रामेषु: in/among Śālagrāma stones
• शालग्रामेषु: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; अधिकरण

• तानि: those (names)
• तानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्म (refers to ‘names’)

• उक्त्वा: having uttered/recited
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having said/recited)

• न्यसेत्: should place/assign
• न्यसेत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√अस्/न्यस् (धातु; causative/denominative sense ‘to place’)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विधि (injunctive: ‘should place’)

• अघहराणि: sin-removers (things that remove sin)
• अघहराणि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघ-हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्म; समासः: अघं हरन्ति इति (upapada-tatpuruṣa/agent-noun)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śālagrāma (Kali-Gaṇḍakī sambandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated on kuśa grass before a small altar: a dark, spiral-marked Śālagrāma on a pedestal, tulasī leaves, conch and bell; the devotee recites the twelve monthly names and performs nyāsa by touching the stone reverently.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Śālagrāma
• Māsa (months)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional recitation of Viṣṇu’s monthly names, anchored in Śālagrāma worship, is upheld as a sin-destroying, sanctifying discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights Śālagrāma (a sacred aniconic form associated with holy rivers/regions) rather than a single named tirtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recite Viṣṇu’s twelve monthly names and perform nyāsa/placement while worshipping Śālagrāma.