Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

नक्तं समाचरेत्पोष्यैः सार्धं सुप्रीतमानसः । प्रातश्चतुर्थ्यां संभोज्य चतुरश्च कुमारकान्

Transliteration

naktaṃ samācaretpoṣyaiḥ sārdhaṃ suprītamānasaḥ | prātaścaturthyāṃ saṃbhojya caturaśca kumārakān

Translation

Nachts soll man, mit freudigem Herzen, den Ritus zusammen mit den Schutzbefohlenen vollziehen. Dann soll man am Morgen des vierten Tithi vier Knaben speisen.

Word by Word

• नक्तम्: at night
• नक्तम्: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नक्तम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (time-adverb)

• समाचरेत्: should perform/observe
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पोष्यैः: with dependents/wards
• पोष्यैः: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पोष्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; 'with those to be nourished/dependents'

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (with/together)

• सुप्रीतमानसः: with a very pleased mind
• सुप्रीतमानसः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु+प्रीत + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (सुप्रीतं मानसं यस्य)

• प्रातः: in the morning
• प्रातः: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (in the morning)

• चतुर्थ्याम्: on the fourth (lunar day)
• चतुर्थ्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्थी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक

• संभोज्य: having fed/entertained
• संभोज्य: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+भुज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• चतुरः: four
• चतुरः: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• कुमारकान्: boys/young lads
• कुमारकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (vrata setting)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nighttime household/pilgrim camp in Kāśī with lamps; the observant person maintains the rite with family/dependents; at dawn of caturthī, four young boys are seated and served a sanctified meal.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāraka (boys)
• Caturthī tithi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vows should expand into care and nourishment of others; feeding the young becomes an embodied form of worship and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is situated in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa milieu; the verse itself is a vrata procedure rather than a tīrtha-stuti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Night observance (nakta) with dependents, followed by feeding four boys on the morning of Caturthī.