Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

उपविश्य ततो मध्ये बन्धून्सर्वान्समाह्वयत् । अद्य तावद्दिने मह्यं तुलाग्रं कमला श्रिता

Transliteration

upaviśya tato madhye bandhūnsarvānsamāhvayat | adya tāvaddine mahyaṃ tulāgraṃ kamalā śritā

Translation

ସେ ତାପରେ ମଧ୍ୟରେ ବସି ସମସ୍ତ ବନ୍ଧୁମାନଙ୍କୁ ଡାକିଲେ। ହର୍ଷରେ କହିଲେ—“ଆଜି ମୋ ପାଇଁ ତୁଳାର ଅଗ୍ରଭାଗରେ କମଳା (ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ) ବିରାଜିଛନ୍ତି।”

Word by Word

• उपविश्य: having sat down
• उपविश्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकालिक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; धातु: विश् (to sit), उपसर्ग: उप-; क्रिया-पूर्वकत्व (having sat down)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (काल/देश-निर्देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम-आधारित अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ततः = then/from there

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (स्थान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• बन्धून्: kinsmen, relatives
• बन्धून्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying बन्धून्)

• समाह्वयत्: called together, summoned
• समाह्वयत्: Kriya (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-ह्वे (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; धातु: ह्वे (to call), उपसर्ग: सम्-आ-

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Adhikarana (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): today/now

• तावत्: so much, just
• तावत्: Visheshana (काल-परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/adverb): so much/just so long; here emphatic with दिने

• दिने: on the day
• दिने: Adhikarana (काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• मह्यम्: to me
• मह्यम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• तुलाग्रम्: the tip of the balance (scale-pan edge)
• तुलाग्रम्: Karta/Pratipādya (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध): तुलायाः अग्रं; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• कमला: Lakṣmī (Kamala)
• कमला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• श्रिता: has resorted to, has taken refuge in
• श्रिता: Kriya (predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातु: श्रि (to resort/adhere)

Speaker

Sūta (narration; direct speech of a character within the story—name not explicit in this verse alone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A prosperous householder sits centrally in an assembly hall, kinsmen gathered around; he proclaims that Lakṣmī has ‘settled on the balance-tip’—a visual metaphor of weighing wealth and destiny.

Characters & Entities

• Kamalā (Lakṣmī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly fortune is celebrated as ‘Lakṣmī on the scale’s tip’—a hint that prosperity is precarious and should be steadied through dharma, especially generosity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is situated within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the context suggests wealth and success should be aligned with dharma (not merely celebrated).