Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

आवाहयेच्च पुरतो ध्यानसंस्थं द्विजोत्तम । ऋचा प्रथमया चास्योंकारादिसमुदीर्णया

Transliteration

āvāhayecca purato dhyānasaṃsthaṃ dvijottama | ṛcā prathamayā cāsyoṃkārādisamudīrṇayā

Translation

హే ద్విజోత్తమా! ధ్యానంలో స్థితుడైన భగవంతుని తన ముందర ఆవాహన చేయాలి; ఓంకారంతో ప్రారంభమై ఉచ్చరించబడిన మొదటి ఋచతో ఆవాహన చేయాలి.

Word by Word

• आवाहयेत्: should invoke
• आवाहयेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + वह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• पुरतः: in front
• पुरतः: Adhikaraṇa (Spatial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (in front)

• ध्यानसंस्थम्: situated in meditation
• ध्यानसंस्थम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यान + संस्थ (प्रातिपदिक; संस्थ = √स्था-निष्ठा/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः: ध्याने संस्थितम् (established in meditation)

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: द्विजः उत्तमः (O best of twice-born)

• ऋचा: with a ṛc (Vedic verse)
• ऋचा: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋच्/ऋचा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• प्रथमया: by the first (verse)
• प्रथमया: Karaṇa (Instrument-qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying 'ṛcā': 'by the first')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• अस्य: of this; his
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम्/अस्मद्-प्रातिपदिक (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ओंकारादिसमुदीर्णया: uttered beginning with ‘Oṃkāra’ etc.
• ओंकारादिसमुदीर्णया: Karaṇa (Instrument-qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ओंकार + आदि + समुदीर्ण (प्रातिपदिक; समुदीर्ण = सम्+उद्+ईर्/ईर्ण-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; समासः: ओंकारादिभिः समुदीर्णा (uttered beginning with Oṃkāra)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Tīrthamāhātmya (deductive attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottama (addressed recipient of instruction)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa devotee seated before a small altar, eyes half-closed in dhyāna, then raising hands in āvāhana as the praṇava and first ṛc are uttered; a subtle luminous Viṣṇu presence appears before him.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True invocation is grounded in meditation and sacred sound: the mind’s focus and the mantra’s utterance work together.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is procedural (pūjā-vidhi) within a tīrtha narrative and does not specify a named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Invoke the deity before oneself using the first ṛc of the sequence, pronounced with Oṃ at the beginning.