Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

इन्द्र उवाच । यद्येवं शरदि प्राप्ते सर्व सत्त्वमनोहरे । सप्तच्छदसमाकीर्णे बन्धूकसुविराजिते

Transliteration

indra uvāca | yadyevaṃ śaradi prāpte sarva sattvamanohare | saptacchadasamākīrṇe bandhūkasuvirājite

Translation

ଇନ୍ଦ୍ର କହିଲେ— ଯଦି ଏମିତି, ତେବେ ସମସ୍ତ ପ୍ରାଣୀଙ୍କ ମନକୁ ମୋହିତ କରୁଥିବା ଶରତ୍ ଋତୁ ଆସିଲେ, ସପ୍ତଛଦ ପୁଷ୍ପରେ ଭରିଥିବା ଏବଂ ବନ୍ଧୂକ ଫୁଲରେ ଶୋଭିତ—

Word by Word

• indraḥ: Indra
• indraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 3rd person singular, परस्मैपद

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — शर्तबोधक (conditional particle)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — प्रकारवाचक (adverb of manner)

• śaradi: in autumn
• śaradi: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular

• prāpte: when (it) has arrived
• prāpte: Kāla-adhikarana (Temporal locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra√āp (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular agreeing with 'śaradi' (śaradi prāpte = when autumn has arrived)

• sarva: all
• sarva: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular; विशेषण (to compound)

• sattva-manohare: delighting all beings
• sattva-manohare: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + manohara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (सत्त्वानां मनोहरः) ; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular; विशेषण (to the setting/season)

• sapta-chada-samākīrṇe: strewn with saptacchada (leaves/flowers)
• sapta-chada-samākīrṇe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (संख्या) + chada (प्रातिपदिक) + samākīrṇa (√kṝ धातु, क्त कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (सप्तच्छदैः समाकीर्णः) ; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular; क्त-कृदन्त विशेषण

• bandhūka-suvirājite: beautifully adorned with bandhūka flowers
• bandhūka-suvirājite: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bandhūka (प्रातिपदिक) + su- (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + virājita (√rāj धातु, क्त कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (बन्धूकैः सुविराजितः) ; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular; क्त-कृदन्त विशेषण

Speaker

Indra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gautama (and/or the sage assembly in context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra begins specifying the ideal autumn setting: clear śarad air, blossoms of saptacchada scattered, bandhūka flowers glowing red-orange across the ground and groves.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Śarad (autumn)
• Saptacchada
• Bandhūka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred observances are harmonized with auspicious seasons; nature’s beauty is treated as a fitting setting for dharmic celebration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it sets the seasonal scene within the broader tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse begins Indra’s query/plan about scheduling the festival in autumn; the prescription is developed in subsequent lines.