Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

चतुर्थ्यामपररात्रेऽभ्यंतरतोऽग्निमादधुः । आसनं ब्रह्मणे दत्त्वा अग्निं कृत्वा प्रदक्षिणम्

Transliteration

caturthyāmapararātre'bhyaṃtarato'gnimādadhuḥ | āsanaṃ brahmaṇe dattvā agniṃ kṛtvā pradakṣiṇam

Translation

ในคืนส่วนปลายของวันจตุรถี พวกเขาก่อไฟศักดิ์สิทธิ์ขึ้นภายในมณฑล แล้วถวายอาสนะแก่พราหมณ์ จากนั้นเวียนประทักษิณรอบอัคนี

Word by Word

• चतुर्थ्याम्: on the fourth (tithi)
• चतुर्थ्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्थी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कालाधिकरणम् (on the fourth lunar day)

• अपररात्रे: in the latter part of the night
• अपररात्रे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपर-रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कालाधिकरणम्

• अभ्यन्तरतः: from within/inside
• अभ्यन्तरतः: Adhikarana (Manner/Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभ्यन्तरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/प्रकार-अव्ययम् (adverb: from inside/within)

• अग्निम्: fire
• अग्निम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्म

• आदधुः: they placed/established
• आदधुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√धा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुषः, बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

• आसनम्: a seat
• आसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्म

• ब्रह्मणे: for Brahmā / for the priest (brahman)
• ब्रह्मणे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (Dative), एकवचनम्; सम्प्रदानम्

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु) + त्वा-प्रत्यय
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund)

• अग्निम्: fire
• अग्निम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्म

• कृत्वा: having made/done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + त्वा-प्रत्यय
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund); 'प्रदक्षिणम्' इत्यस्य सह—'प्रदक्षिणं कृत्वा'

• प्रदक्षिणम्: circumambulation (clockwise)
• प्रदक्षिणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र-दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्म (क्रियाविशेष्य)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a ritual pavilion at night: priests kindle the fire, offer a seat to the Brahman-priest, and participants circumambulate the blazing agni; shadows flicker on sacred posts and garlands.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (sacred fire)
• brāhmaṇa (priest)
• caturthī tithi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmic rites are anchored in sacred order—time (tithi), sanctified space, and reverence to the priest and fire as witnesses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rites occur in Dharmāraṇya, reinforcing it as a place fit for major saṃskāras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kindling/establishing the sacred fire (agnyādhāna), offering an āsana to the priest, and performing pradakṣiṇā around the fire.