Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

अश्वो वोढेति यत्सूक्तं चतुःषष्टिसमुद्भवम् । छंदऋषिदेवतायुक्तं जपं चक्रे ततः परम्

Transliteration

aśvo voḍheti yatsūktaṃ catuḥṣaṣṭisamudbhavam | chaṃdaṛṣidevatāyuktaṃ japaṃ cakre tataḥ param

Translation

แล้วเขาจึงประกอบญปะ (japa) บทสวดที่ขึ้นต้นว่า “อัศโว โวฒา…” อันเกิดจากชุดหกสิบสี่ พร้อมด้วยฉันท์ ฤษี และเทวตาประธานโดยครบถ้วน

Word by Word

• aśvaḥ: horse
• aśvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• voḍhā: carrier, bearer
• voḍhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vah (धातु) → voḍhṛ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तरि-तृच् (agent noun)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत्

• sūktam: hymn
• sūktam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūkta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• catuḥṣaṣṭi-samudbhavam: arisen from sixty-four
• catuḥṣaṣṭi-samudbhavam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catuḥṣaṣṭi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (catuḥṣaṣṭyāḥ samudbhavam)

• chandaḥ-ṛṣi-devatā-yuktam: endowed with meter, seer, and deity
• chandaḥ-ṛṣi-devatā-yuktam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: chandas (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + devatā (प्रातिपदिक) + yukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व/तत्पुरुष-समासभावः (chandaḥ-ṛṣi-devatābhiḥ yuktam); yukta = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• japam: recitation, japa
• japam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• cakre: performed
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/काल/क्रमसूचक (from there/then)

• param: after that
• param: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे अव्ययवत्; क्रमवाचक (afterwards)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvatīrtha (implied)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija (addressed: 'O twice-born')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage performs concentrated japa on a riverbank, holding a mālā, with subtle indications of chandas-ṛṣi-devatā (Vedic aura) surrounding him; the river glows as if responding to mantra.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ṛcīka
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma upholds disciplined mantra-practice—recitation aligned with tradition (metre, seer, deity) bears tangible sacred results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā-bank near Kānyakubja where the japa is performed, soon famed as Aśvatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of a specific sūkta, performed with proper chandas-ṛṣi-devatā assignment (traditional viniyoga framework).