Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

तस्याग्रे श्रद्धया युक्तो दीपं दयाद्यथायथा । तथातथा भवेद्दृष्टिस्तस्य नित्यं सुनिर्मलाम्

Transliteration

tasyāgre śraddhayā yukto dīpaṃ dayādyathāyathā | tathātathā bhaveddṛṣṭistasya nityaṃ sunirmalām

Translation

Hễ ai đầy đủ đức tin, dâng ngọn đèn trước Ngài hết lần này đến lần khác, thì tương ứng như vậy, cái thấy của người ấy ngày càng trong sạch, sáng tỏ không ngừng.

Word by Word

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; 'of him/of that (deity)'

• agre: in front (of)
• agre: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; सप्तमी-अर्थे = in front/presence

• śraddhayā: with faith
• śraddhayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन; 'with faith'

• yuktaḥ: endowed/engaged
• yuktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √yuj (धातु) → yukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'endowed/engaged' (referring to worshipper)

• dīpam: lamp
• dīpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'lamp'

• dad-yathā-yathā: (he) gives, as/whenever
• dad-yathā-yathā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु) + yathā-yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: दद् (present stem) + (लोट्/विधिलिङ्-सम्भव) 3rd sg understood; here sandhi form 'दद्' before yathā; sense: 'as he gives'; यथायथा = correlative indeclinable 'as...as'

• tathā-tathā: accordingly
• tathā-tathā: Adhikarana (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā-tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb) = accordingly/so and so

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 'would become/should be'

• dṛṣṭiḥ: vision/sight
• dṛṣṭiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'sight/vision'

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; 'of him'

• nityam: always
• nityam: Adhikarana (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (क्रियाविशेषण) = always

• su-nirmalām: very pure
• su-nirmalām: Karma (Result/फल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + nirmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/उपपद-समास; 'अत्यन्तं निर्मला' = very pure; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; predicate adjective agreeing with 'dṛṣṭim' understood / or as accusative of result

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Raghuśreṣṭha/nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands before Dāmodara’s image, offering a bright lamp repeatedly; the lamp’s glow reflects in the devotee’s eyes, which become progressively clearer; the sanctum is calm, filled with warm light.

Characters & Entities

• Dāmodara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful lamp-offering purifies perception—outer sight and inner discernment—reflecting the devotee’s growing clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dāmodara-associated tīrtha/temple locale in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, where dīpa-dāna is praised as especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dīpa-dāna: offering a lamp before the deity with śraddhā, repeatedly/regularly.