Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 143

Devanagari script

अहं तुष्टोऽस्मि ते वत्स वरं वरय सुव्रत । अखंडितैर्बिल्वपत्रैस्त्रिकाले यत्त्वयार्चितः

Transliteration

ahaṃ tuṣṭo'smi te vatsa varaṃ varaya suvrata | akhaṃḍitairbilvapatraistrikāle yattvayārcitaḥ

Translation

“Hỡi con yêu, Ta hài lòng về con. Này người kiên định giới nguyện, hãy chọn một ân phúc—vì con đã thờ phụng Ta ba thời mỗi ngày bằng những lá bilva nguyên vẹn.”

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tuṣṭaḥ: pleased
• tuṣṭaḥ: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣṭa (कृदन्त; √tuṣ)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• asmi: am
• asmi: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• te: with you / for you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन

• vatsa: dear child
• vatsa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• varaya: choose (ask for)
• varaya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु; var- 'to choose')
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• su-vrata: O one of good vows
• su-vrata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (सुन्दरं व्रतम् यस्य)

• akhaṇḍitaiḥ: with unbroken
• akhaṇḍitaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhaṇḍita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणं 'bilvapatraiḥ'

• bilva-patraiḥ: with bilva leaves
• bilva-patraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bilva (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tri-kāle: at the three times (daily)
• tri-kāle: Avyaya (Temporal modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tri (संख्या) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत्; अर्थः 'त्रिषु कालेषु'

• yat: because/that (which)
• yat: Karma (Patient in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• arcitaḥ: was worshipped
• arcitaḥ: Kriya (Passive predicate/कर्मणि-क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arcita (कृदन्त; √arc)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'aham' (Śiva) इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (Hara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva addresses the devotee tenderly as ‘vatṣa’, offering a boon; the devotee stands with folded hands, bilva leaves and pūjā items visible, the liṅga shrine glowing.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Bilva (leaves)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disciplined daily worship (tri-kāla arcana) with purity of offering draws Śiva’s direct favor and the granting of boons.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting belongs to a Tīrthamāhātmya episode in Nāgara Khaṇḍa; this verse highlights the sacred practice (bilva-arcana) more than a named geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship Śiva three times daily using akhaṇḍita (unbroken) bilva leaves as an offering.