Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

सप्तम्यश्च द्विजश्रेष्ठ निराहारस्तु भक्तितः या । स प्राप्स्यति न संदेहः पुत्रं वंशविवर्धनम्

Transliteration

saptamyaśca dvijaśreṣṭha nirāhārastu bhaktitaḥ yā | sa prāpsyati na saṃdehaḥ putraṃ vaṃśavivardhanam

Translation

โอ้พราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐ ผู้ใดด้วยศรัทธาถือศีลอดวันสัปตมีโดยไม่รับประทานอาหาร ผู้นั้นจักได้บุตรผู้เพิ่มพูนวงศ์สกุลอย่างแน่นอน ปราศจากข้อสงสัย

Word by Word

• सप्तम्याः: of/on the seventh (day)
• सप्तम्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; (सप्तम्याः = सप्तम्यां/सप्तम्याः इति पाठभेद-संभव)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: O best of twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्विजानां श्रेष्ठः)

• निराहारः: fasting/without food
• निराहारः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्-आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सः)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; emphasis/contrast)

• भक्तितः: out of devotion
• भक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) = 'भक्त्या/भक्त्या हेतोः'

• या: who/which
• या: Anvaya-link (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्स्यति: will obtain
• प्राप्स्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not/no
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• संदेहः: doubt
• संदेहः: Pratiṣedhya (Negated predicate/निषेध्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संदेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वाक्ये 'न संदेहः' इति नास्त्यर्थे

• पुत्रम्: a son
• पुत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वंशविवर्धनम्: lineage-increasing
• वंशविवर्धनम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वंश + विवर्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (वंशं विवर्धयति) विशेषण (पुत्रम्)

Speaker

Divākara (Sūrya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaṭa-sthala of Sūrya (Aṃśumālī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-śreṣṭha (addressed recipient)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: the deity’s assurance that a devoted Saptamī nirāhāra vrata grants a lineage-increasing son.

Characters & Entities

• Divākara (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional discipline (bhakti with upavāsa) offered to Sūrya is praised as a dharmic means to gain divine grace and household prosperity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding passage belongs to the Vaṭāditya/Vaṭeśvara sacred setting within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observing Saptamī with nirāhāra (foodless fasting) and devotion.