Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

विश्वेदेवास आगत मंत्रेणानेन पार्थिव । तेषामावाहनं कार्यमक्षतैश्च शिरोंऽतिकात्

Transliteration

viśvedevāsa āgata maṃtreṇānena pārthiva | teṣāmāvāhanaṃ kāryamakṣataiśca śiroṃ'tikāt

Translation

ข้าแต่พระราชา ด้วยมนต์นี้ว่า ‘วิศเวเทวาส อาคต’ พึงอาวาหนะเหล่าวิศเวเทวะ การอาวาหนะของท่านทั้งหลายพึงทำด้วยอักษตะ (ข้าวสารไม่แตก) โปรยถวายจากเหนือศีรษะ

Word by Word

• विश्वेदेवाः: the All-gods (Viśvedevas)
• विश्वेदेवाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वे-देव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (विश्वे च ते देवाः)

• आगताः: having come, arrived
• आगताः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक विशेषण (past participle)

• मन्त्रेण: by (this) mantra
• मन्त्रेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• पार्थिव: O king
• पार्थिव: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• आवाहनम्: invocation, calling (them)
• आवाहनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-√वह् (धातु) + ल्युट् (प्रत्यय; भाववाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ल्युट्-प्रत्ययान्त भाववाचक संज्ञा

• कार्यम्: should be done
• कार्यम्: Vidheyavisheshana (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त; कार्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done/should be done)

• अक्षतैः: with unbroken rice grains
• अक्षतैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• शिरः: from the head
• शिरः: Apadana/Source (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (शिरसः → शिरः)

• अतिकात्: over/above (it)
• अतिकात्: Desha/Adhikarana (देश/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग) + क (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभावार्थ)
• Form: अव्यय; अर्थः—ऊर्ध्वम्/उपरि (above/over)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva (king) explicitly addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as a priest invokes Viśvedevas; akṣata is lifted above the head and offered forward; luminous collective deities appear as a radiant assembly above the altar.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvedevas
• akṣata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha honors both ancestors and the divine witnesses (Viśvedevas), integrating human gratitude with cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is about invoking Viśvedevas; the broader context is a tirtha-oriented chapter without naming a site here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Invoke the Viśvedevas with the mantra ‘viśvedevāsa āgata’ and offer akṣata from above the head.