Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

वसामि कृत्तिवासेहं सदा प्रति चतुर्दशि । अत्र जागरणं कृत्वा चतुर्दश्यां न गर्भभाक्

Transliteration

vasāmi kṛttivāsehaṃ sadā prati caturdaśi | atra jāgaraṇaṃ kṛtvā caturdaśyāṃ na garbhabhāk

Translation

«Ich weile stets hier in Kṛttivāsa, an jedem vierzehnten Mondtag (Caturdaśī). Wer hier an dieser Caturdaśī die Nachtwache hält, wird nicht wieder im Schoß geboren.»

Word by Word

• वसामि: I dwell
• वसामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• कृत्तिवासे: in Kṛttivāsa (the place/abode named Kṛttivāsa)
• कृत्तिवासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्ति-वासा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम (1st person pronoun), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• प्रति: on/at each
• प्रति: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपपद-अव्यय (preposition governing accusative; ‘towards/on each’)

• चतुर्दशि: the fourteenth lunar day (caturdaśī)
• चतुर्दशि: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd) (प्रति-योगे), एकवचन (Singular)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• जागरणम्: wakefulness; vigil
• जागरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृत्वा: having done/observed
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), ‘having done’

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• गर्भभाक्: one who partakes of/gets pregnancy; becoming pregnant
• गर्भभाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्भ-भाज् (धातु) (प्रातिपदिक: गर्भभाज्/गर्भभाक्)
• Form: भाज्-धातोः क्विप्/क्विन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context and Kṛttivāsa reference)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛttivāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbhodbhava)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night at the Kṛttivāsa shrine in Kāśī: devotees keep vigil on caturdaśī with rows of oil lamps, bilva leaves, incense, and continuous chanting before a Śiva-liṅga; the Ganga’s distant shimmer frames the sacred city.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛttivāsa
• Caturdaśī
• Jāgaraṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wakeful devotion (jāgaraṇa) performed at a sanctified Śaiva site on caturdaśī is praised as a direct cause of release from rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṛttivāsa in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), presented as a place where Śiva is especially present on caturdaśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observing jāgaraṇa (night vigil) on the fourteenth lunar day (caturdaśī) at Kṛttivāsa.