Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

वैशाखे शुक्लद्वादश्यां यात्रा सांवत्सरी स्मृता । नानाभीष्टफलप्राप्तिर्भूयान्मद्वचसा नृणाम्

Transliteration

vaiśākhe śukladvādaśyāṃ yātrā sāṃvatsarī smṛtā | nānābhīṣṭaphalaprāptirbhūyānmadvacasā nṛṇām

Translation

ਵੈਸ਼ਾਖ ਮਹੀਨੇ ਦੀ ਸ਼ੁਕਲ ਦ੍ਵਾਦਸ਼ੀ ਨੂੰ ਇਹ ਯਾਤਰਾ ਸਾਂਵਤਸਰੀ—ਸਾਲਾਨਾ—ਮੰਨੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ। ਮੇਰੇ ਵਚਨ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ, ਇਸ ਨਾਲ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਾਨਾ ਮਨੋਭੀਸ਼ਟ ਫਲ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਹੋਣ।

Word by Word

• vaiśākhe: in (the month of) Vaiśākha
• vaiśākhe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśākha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular; कालवाचक (time-locative)

• śukla-dvādaśyām: on the bright (fortnight) twelfth day
• śukla-dvādaśyām: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + dvādaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular; कर्मधारयः (śuklā dvādaśī)

• yātrā: the pilgrimage/journey
• yātrā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular

• sāṃvatsarī: annual
• sāṃvatsarī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāṃvatsarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; विशेषण (qualifying yātrā)

• smṛtā: is regarded/remembered
• smṛtā: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक-भावः — ‘is remembered/considered’

• nānā-abhīṣṭa-phala-prāptiḥ: attainment of various desired results
• nānā-abhīṣṭa-phala-prāptiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + abhīṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक) + prāpti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/समाहारार्थः: ‘(of) various desired fruits’ + ‘attainment’

• bhūyāt: may it occur/be
• bhūyāt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘may it be’

• mat-vacasā: by my word/statement
• mat-vacasā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — instrumental singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘my’ + ‘word’

• nṛṇām: of men/people
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive plural

Speaker

Agastya (deduced from surrounding dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: अयोध्या-यात्रा (सांवत्सरी)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: राजा

Visual Art Cues

Scene: वैशाख-उत्सव-यात्रा—ध्वज-पताका, कीर्तन-समूह, स्नानार्थी सरयू-घाटे, दीप-दान, द्वादशी-व्रती वैष्णव-चिह्न (ऊर्ध्वपुण्ड्र), नगर-परिक्रमा।

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśākha
• Śukla Dvādaśī
• Ayodhyā (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time strengthens sacred travel: performing yātrā on an auspicious lunar day yields manifold desired spiritual results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā is being praised in the Ayodhyā Māhātmya context, with emphasis on its annual pilgrimage observance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observing the annual yātrā on Vaiśākha Śukla Dvādaśī is prescribed as especially fruitful.