Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 230

Devanagari script

वासुदेवश्च शंखारि गदाजलजभृत्सदा । शंखांबुज गदाचक्री ध्येयो नारायणो नृभिः

Transliteration

vāsudevaśca śaṃkhāri gadājalajabhṛtsadā | śaṃkhāṃbuja gadācakrī dhyeyo nārāyaṇo nṛbhiḥ

Translation

Si Vāsudeva, na laging may shankha, chakra, gada, at lotus—si Nārāyaṇa na may shankha, lotus, gada, at chakra—ang dapat pagnilayan ng mga tao.

Word by Word

• वासुदेवः: Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction: ‘and’)

• शंखारिः: bearing the conch
• शंखारिः: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंख-आरी (प्रातिपदिक; शंख + आरी/अरि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (शंखं धारयति/शंखेन युक्तः)

• गदाजलजभृत्: bearing mace and lotus
• गदाजलजभृत्: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा-जलज-भृत् (प्रातिपदिक; गदा + जलज + भृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (गदां जलजं च बिभर्ति)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘always’)

• शंखाम्बुजः: (having) conch and lotus
• शंखाम्बुजः: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंख-अम्बुज (प्रातिपदिक; शंख + अम्बुज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (शंखश्च अम्बुजं च)

• गदाचक्री: (having) mace and discus
• गदाचक्री: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा-चक्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक; गदा + चक्रिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (गदा च चक्रं च यस्य)

• ध्येयः: to be meditated upon
• ध्येयः: Vidheyavisheshaṇa (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/भाव्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय (to be meditated upon)

• नारायणः: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नृभिः: by men/people
• नृभिः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda teaching Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bindumādhava/Nārāyaṇa (contextual)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A meditator seated near the Ganga or in a shrine, eyes half-closed; above the heart-lotus appears Vāsudeva/Nārāyaṇa, four-armed, holding conch, discus, mace, and lotus, radiating calm light.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Nārāyaṇa
• Śaṅkha
• Cakra
• Gadā
• Padma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady contemplation (dhyāna) on Nārāyaṇa’s auspicious form is upheld as a direct spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the focus is on Nārāyaṇa-dhyāna within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa teaching flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna (meditation) on Nārāyaṇa/Vāsudeva bearing śaṅkha, cakra, gadā, and padma.