Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 88
व्रतं वा नियमं वाथ तस्मिन्यः कुरुते नरः । प्रसुप्ते देवदेवेशे तत्सर्वं निष्फलं भवेत्
vrataṃ vā niyamaṃ vātha tasminyaḥ kurute naraḥ | prasupte devadeveśe tatsarvaṃ niṣphalaṃ bhavet
Ob Gelübde (vrata) oder religiöse Zucht (niyama) — was immer ein Mensch in jener Zeit unternimmt: Wenn der Herr der Herren im heiligen Schlaf weilt, wird all dies fruchtlos.
Narrative voice (contextual instruction within Tīrthamāhātmya; speaker not explicit in this verse)
Tirtha: Jagannātha-kṣetra (implied)
Type: kshetra
Listener: general audience (naraḥ)
Scene: A devotee prepares to take a vow, but elders point to the temple calendar marking Hari’s śayana; the devotee instead offers lamps and listens to kathā.
FAQs
Merit depends not only on the act but also on sacred timing; vows done in an inauspicious ritual window are said to lose their fruit.
The broader passage belongs to the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya and later connects to Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra where Janārdana is said to lie (śayana).
A caution: performing vrata/niyama when the Lord is in ‘prasupta’ (ritual sleep) is discouraged as unfruitful.