Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

शंखश्च दक्षिणावर्त्तो लक्ष्मीनारायणात्मकः । तुलसी कृष्णसारोऽत्र यत्र द्वारवती शिला । तत्र श्रीर्विजयो विष्णुर्मुक्तिरेवं चतुष्टयम्

Transliteration

śaṃkhaśca dakṣiṇāvartto lakṣmīnārāyaṇātmakaḥ | tulasī kṛṣṇasāro'tra yatra dvāravatī śilā | tatra śrīrvijayo viṣṇurmuktirevaṃ catuṣṭayam

Translation

ఎక్కడ దక్షిణావర్త శంఖం లక్ష్మీనారాయణాత్మకంగా ఉంటుందో, ఎక్కడ తులసి మరియు కృష్ణసార మృగచర్మం ఉంటాయో, ఎక్కడ ద్వారవతీ శిలా ఉంటుందో—అక్కడ నాలుగు అనుగ్రహాలు నివసిస్తాయి: శ్రీ, విజయం, విష్ణుసాన్నిధ్యం, ముక్తి।

Word by Word

• śaṃkhaḥ: conch
• śaṃkhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative, 1st case), Ekavacana (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avadhāraṇa (conjunction/particle)

• dakṣiṇāvartaḥ: right-turning (clockwise)
• dakṣiṇāvartaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa + āvarta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa (adjective) of śaṃkhaḥ

• lakṣmīnārāyaṇātmakaḥ: of the nature of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa
• lakṣmīnārāyaṇātmakaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lakṣmī + nārāyaṇa + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of śaṃkhaḥ; ‘having the nature/essence of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa’

• tulasī: Tulasī (holy basil)
• tulasī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tulasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā (Nominative), Ekavacana

• kṛṣṇasāraḥ: black antelope (kṛṣṇasāra)
• kṛṣṇasāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa + sāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; apposition to tulasī (as another item listed)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśa-avyaya (locative adverb)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Sambandha-avyaya (relative adverb: ‘where’)

• dvāravatī: of Dvāravatī / Dvārakā-related
• dvāravatī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvāravatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of śilā

• śilā: stone (sacred stone)
• śilā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśa-avyaya (locative adverb: ‘there’)

• śrīḥ: Śrī (Lakṣmī, prosperity)
• śrīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• vijayaḥ: victory
• vijayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vijaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• muktiḥ: liberation
• muktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• evaṃ: thus
• evaṃ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: Prakāra-avyaya (manner adverb: ‘thus’)

• catuṣṭayam: a set of four (quadruple)
• catuṣṭayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catuṣṭaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā (Nominative), Ekavacana; collective noun

Speaker

Narrative voice within Brahmā–Nārada dialogue context (deduced from adhyāya colophon)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvāravatī/Dvārakā-associated śilā-sthāna (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shrine altar displaying a right-turning conch, tulasī plant, blackbuck-skin āsana, and a sacred Dvārakā stone; above them Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa radiate, and four personified boons—Śrī, Vijaya, Viṣṇu-sannidhi, Mukti—stand as attendants.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa
• dakṣiṇāvarta śaṅkha
• Tulasī
• kṛṣṇasāra (antelope skin)
• Dvāravatī śilā
• Viṣṇu
• mukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred Vaiṣṇava emblems and proper worship create a spiritually charged space that bestows worldly well-being and ultimate liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Vaiṣṇava-identified kṣetra within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya where Dvāravatī śilā and other auspicious emblems are present.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Maintaining and venerating Vaiṣṇava sacred items—dakṣiṇāvarta conch, Tulasī, and sacred śilā—implying temple/home pūjā standards.