Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

गालव उवाच । शालिग्रामगतं विष्णुं चक्रांकित पुटं सदा । येऽर्चयन्ति नरा नित्यं तेषां भुक्तिस्त्वदूरतः

Transliteration

gālava uvāca | śāligrāmagataṃ viṣṇuṃ cakrāṃkita puṭaṃ sadā | ye'rcayanti narā nityaṃ teṣāṃ bhuktistvadūrataḥ

Translation

Gālava disse: “Aqueles que diariamente veneram Viṣṇu presente no Śālagrāma, sempre marcado com o sinal do disco, veem os prazeres mundanos ficarem distantes deles.”

Word by Word

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शालिग्रामगतम्: situated in the Śālagrāma (stone)
• शालिग्रामगतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शालिग्राम + गत (गम्-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘gone/placed in’; तत्पुरुषः (शालिग्रामे गतः)

• विष्णुम्: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• चक्राङ्कितम्: marked with a discus (chakra)
• चक्राङ्कितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चक्र + अङ्कित (अङ्क्-धातु, क्त; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; तत्पुरुषः (चक्रेण अङ्कितम्)

• पुटम्: a sacred object/stone (puṭa)
• पुटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत्

• अर्चयन्ति: worship
• अर्चयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• नित्यम्: daily/constantly
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगेण क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• भुक्तिः: enjoyment/worldly prosperity
• भुक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ

• अदूरतः: from not far away; soon
• अदूरतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अदूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śālagrāma

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Gālava speaks while a devotee performs daily worship of a black Śālagrāma marked with a cakra; the devotee turns away from luxurious objects, indicating detachment.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Śālagrāma
• Viṣṇu
• cakra (Sudarśana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular worship of Śālagrāma-Viṣṇu naturally turns the mind away from mere worldly enjoyment toward higher devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The focus is on the sacred icon/tirtha-object Śālagrāma (traditionally associated with the Gaṇḍakī region), rather than a named town in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daily arcana (worship) of Viṣṇu in the Śālagrāma stone marked by the discus.