Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

रात्रौ जागरणं कुर्याद्दीपं देवस्य बोधयेत् । घृतेन चैव राजेन्द्र शृणु तत्रास्ति यत्फलम्

Transliteration

rātrau jāgaraṇaṃ kuryāddīpaṃ devasya bodhayet | ghṛtena caiva rājendra śṛṇu tatrāsti yatphalam

Translation

Nachts soll man wachen und den Herrn mit einer Lampe erwecken; auch mit Ghee, o Bester der Könige — höre, welche Frucht daraus erwächst.

Word by Word

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

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

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

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

• devasya: of the deity
• devasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• bodhayet: should awaken (cause to be aware)
• bodhayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √budh (धातु) + ṇic (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• rājendra: O king of kings
• rājendra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (राज्ञां इन्द्रः)

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• tatra: there/in that (observance)
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• asti: is
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative)

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator addressing the King

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yama-hāseśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night at the river-temple: devotees keep vigil, rows of ghee lamps flicker before the Śiva-linga; a priest ‘awakens’ the deity with lamp-circling (ārati), while the river murmurs nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Dīpa
• Ghṛta
• Jāgaraṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional discipline—vigil and lamp-offering—intensifies merit and keeps consciousness aligned with the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Revā-kṣetra/Yama-hāseśvara context, though the verse highlights a general vrata rite.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Night-long jāgaraṇa and offering/lighting a ghee lamp (ghṛta-dīpa), with deva-bodhana in worship.