Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

अंबिकाभवनं प्राप्य भरद्वाजोपदेशतः । तां देवीं नियमैस्तीव्रैरुपास्ते स्म महानिशि

Transliteration

aṃbikābhavanaṃ prāpya bharadvājopadeśataḥ | tāṃ devīṃ niyamaistīvrairupāste sma mahāniśi

Translation

Als er nach Bharadvājas Weisung die Wohnstatt Ambikās erreicht hatte, verehrte er die Göttin mit strengen Gelübden und harten Entsagungen und wachte die große Nacht hindurch.

Word by Word

• aṃbikā-bhavanam: Ambikā’s abode
• aṃbikā-bhavanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃbikā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अंबिकायाः भवनम्)

• prāpya: having reached
• prāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √prāp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाले क्रिया; ‘having reached’

• bharadvāja-upadeśataḥ: by/according to Bharadvāja’s instruction
• bharadvāja-upadeśataḥ: Hetu/Source (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bharadvāja (प्रातिपदिक) + upadeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Ablatival adverb); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भरद्वाजस्य उपदेशः) + -तः = ‘from/according to the instruction’

• tām: her
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• devīm: the goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• niyamaiḥ: with observances
• niyamaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• tīvraiḥ: severe
• tīvraiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tīvra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (नियमैः)

• upāste: worships
• upāste: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ās (धातु) उप +
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; धातु: उप+√ās = ‘to worship/attend upon’

• sma: indeed/then (past marker)
• sma: Kriyānuṣaṅga (Particle with verb/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sma (अव्यय)
• Form: स्म-निपातः (particle indicating past narration/continuative past)

• mahā-niśi: in the great night
• mahā-niśi: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + niśā/niśi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती च सा निशा)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ambikā-bhavana

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king arrives at Ambikā’s sanctum by night, guided by Bharadvāja’s counsel; lamps flicker as he begins severe observances and worship through the great night.

Characters & Entities

• Ambikā (Goddess)
• Bharadvāja
• King (implied devotee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace is approached through disciplined observance (niyama), humility, and steadfast devotion, especially in sacred spaces dedicated to the Goddess.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ambikā-bhavana (the abode/temple of Goddess Ambikā) is referenced as the sacred locus of worship, though a broader geographic tīrtha name is not specified in the verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Intense niyamas (observances) and a night vigil (mahāniśi) as part of worship of Ambikā.