Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अस्यां चेत्तु गजच्छाया तिथौ राजन्प्रजायते । तदाऽक्षयं मघायोगे श्राद्धं संजायते ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

asyāṃ cettu gajacchāyā tithau rājanprajāyate | tadā'kṣayaṃ maghāyoge śrāddhaṃ saṃjāyate dhruvam

Translation

ข้าแต่พระราชา หากในตถีนี้บังเกิด ‘คชฉายา’ อันเป็นมงคล แล้วประกอบร่วมกับมฆา ก็ย่อมเป็นศราทธะ ‘อักษยะ’ คือให้ผลไม่เสื่อมอย่างแน่นอน

Word by Word

• asyām: in this (tithi)
• asyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक; इदम्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; अधिकरणे (in this tithi)

• cet: if
• cet: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक (conditional particle: if)

• tu: then; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थ (but/indeed)

• gajacchāyā: (the) Gaja-chāyā (named shadow/phenomenon)
• gajacchāyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja-chāyā (प्रातिपदिक; गज + छाया)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय

• tithau: on the lunar day
• tithau: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• prajāyate: arises; is produced
• prajāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• akṣayam: inexhaustible
• akṣayam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘śrāddham’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• maghāyoge: in the Maghā conjunction (yoga)
• maghāyoge: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maghā-yoga (प्रातिपदिक; मघा + योग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• śrāddham: śrāddha (rite)
• śrāddham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय

• saṃjāyate: comes into being; occurs
• saṃjāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) + sam- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• dhruvam: certainly; surely
• dhruvam: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverbial use)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King Ānarta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage points to a pañcāṅga or celestial diagram, explaining the rare alignment: Trayodaśī with ‘Gajacchāyā’ and Maghā; above them, stylized constellations and a symbolic elephant-shadow motif indicating the configuration.

Characters & Entities

• Gajacchāyā
• Maghā
• Śrāddha
• Akṣaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma praises specific calendrical combinations as amplifiers of merit, especially for Pitṛ-related rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya setting, though it highlights time-auspiciousness rather than a named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Śrāddha when Gajacchāyā occurs on the tithi, especially with Maghā conjunction, for ‘akṣaya’ fruit.