Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

पश्चाज्जागरणं कुर्याद्घृतेनाज्वाल्य दीपकम् । पुराणपठनेनैव नृत्यगीतविवादनैः

Transliteration

paścājjāgaraṇaṃ kuryādghṛtenājvālya dīpakam | purāṇapaṭhanenaiva nṛtyagītavivādanaiḥ

Translation

Danach soll man die Nachtwache halten, eine Lampe mit Ghee entzünden und die Vigil durch Purāṇa-Rezitation, ebenso durch hingebungsvollen Tanz, Gesang und Instrumentalmusik verbringen.

Word by Word

• paścāt: afterwards
• paścāt: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रमवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal/sequence adverb): 'afterwards'

• jāgaraṇam: night-vigil, keeping awake
• jāgaraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ghṛtena: with ghee
• ghṛtena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• ājvālya: having kindled
• ājvālya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√jval (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); 'having kindled/lighting'

• dīpakam: lamp
• dīpakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīpaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• purāṇa-paṭhanena: by recitation of the Purāṇa
• purāṇa-paṭhanena: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + paṭhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (purāṇasya paṭhanam)

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• nṛtya-gīta-vivādanaiḥ: by dancing, singing, and instrumental music
• nṛtya-gīta-vivādanaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛtya (प्रातिपदिक) + gīta (प्रातिपदिक) + vivādana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative style within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A riverside ghat at night: pilgrims keep vigil around a steady ghee lamp; a reciter chants Purāṇa while devotees sing, dance, and play vīṇā/mṛdaṅga/karatāla; Narmadā flows dark and luminous under moonlight.

Characters & Entities

• Purāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained devotion—expressed through vigil, sacred reading, and bhakti-arts—deepens the merit of tīrtha worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā tīrtha setting of the Revā Khaṇḍa, where such vigil is part of the sacred itinerary.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Night vigil (jāgaraṇa) with a ghee lamp, accompanied by Purāṇa recitation, devotional singing, dancing, and music.