Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 82
मृतप्रायस्ततो नित्यं तद्भारेण प्रपीडितः । कार्तिकस्य सिते पक्ष एकादश्या दिने स्थिते
mṛtaprāyastato nityaṃ tadbhāreṇa prapīḍitaḥ | kārtikasya site pakṣa ekādaśyā dine sthite
وبعد ذلك، ظلّ مُسحَقًا على الدوام تحت ذلك الثِّقل، كأنّه ميّتٌ لا حراك به، إلى أن أتى يومُ إكادَشي (Ekādaśī) في النصفِ المُضيء من شهرِ كارتِّيكا (Kārttika).
Sūta (narrative voice)
Scene: A cursed figure, bent under an unseen weight, lies nearly lifeless as the bright Kārttika moon rises; devotees count days toward Ekādaśī, lamps and tulasī sprigs prepared for Viṣṇu’s awakening rites.
FAQs
The Purāṇic calendar sacralizes time itself; the narrative marks the span from Āṣāḍha to Kārttika as a spiritually charged interval.
Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra remains the implied setting for the temporal marker of Kārttika Ekādaśī.
The verse points to Kārttika-śukla Ekādaśī as a pivotal ritual day (connected with the Lord’s awakening/utthāna in the wider tradition).