Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

रात्रौ जागरणं कृत्वा मधुमासाष्टमीदिने । अथवा च चतुर्दश्यामुभौ पक्षौ च कारयेत्

Transliteration

rātrau jāgaraṇaṃ kṛtvā madhumāsāṣṭamīdine | athavā ca caturdaśyāmubhau pakṣau ca kārayet

Translation

Hält man nachts eine Vigil am achten Tag des Madhu-Monats, oder auch am vierzehnten Tithi, so kann man es in beiden Monatshälften vollziehen, der hellen wie der dunklen.

Word by Word

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — locative of time

• जागरणम्: keeping vigil
• जागरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), कृ-धातोः — having done

• मधुमासाष्टमीदिने: on the eighth day of the month Madhu
• मधुमासाष्टमीदिने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु-मास-अष्टमी-दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः—मधुमासस्य अष्टमीदिने (locative)

• अथवा: or else
• अथवा: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पार्थक निपात) — disjunctive particle

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक) — conjunction

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — locative of time

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), द्विवचन — qualifying ‘पक्षौ’

• पक्षौ: fortnights (waxing and waning halves)
• पक्षौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), द्विवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक) — conjunction

• कारयेत्: should have (it) performed
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) [णिच् causative]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोगः — should cause to be done/should perform (have done)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa Śiva-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (contextual continuity)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A temple courtyard at night: devotees seated with lamps, chanting; the moon overhead marking aṣṭamī/caturdaśī; offerings arranged; the sense of time sanctified by vigil.

Characters & Entities

• Madhu-māsa (seasonal month)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (tithi and month) disciplines the devotee’s attention, turning worship into sustained awareness through vigil.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage concerns observances to be done after reaching the praised tīrtha (Badaryāśrama).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform night-long jāgaraṇa on Madhu-māsa Aṣṭamī, or on Caturdaśī, and it may be done in both lunar fortnights.