Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

यः कांस्यं वर्जयेन्मर्त्यः प्रसुप्ते गरुडध्वजे । स फलं प्राप्नुयात्कृत्स्नं वाजपेयातिरात्रयोः

Transliteration

yaḥ kāṃsyaṃ varjayenmartyaḥ prasupte garuḍadhvaje | sa phalaṃ prāpnuyātkṛtsnaṃ vājapeyātirātrayoḥ

Translation

Wenn der Herr Viṣṇu—dessen Banner Garuḍa trägt—in Seinen heiligen Schlaf eingegangen ist, erlangt jeder Sterbliche, der auf kāṃsya (Glockenmetall) verzichtet, in voller Fülle das Verdienst der Opfer Vājapeya und Atirātra.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• kāṃsyam: bronze/bell-metal (vessel)
• kāṃsyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṃsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• varjayet: should avoid
• varjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛj/varj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• martyaḥ: a mortal man
• martyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• prasupte: when (he) is asleep
• prasupte: Adhikarana (Time/Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-supta (कृदन्त; svap-धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with garuḍadhvaje)

• garuḍa-dhvaje: when Garuḍa-bannered (Viṣṇu) is asleep
• garuḍa-dhvaje: Adhikarana (Time/Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garuḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: गरुडस्य ध्वजः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• phalam: fruit; result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• prāpnuyāt: would obtain
• prāpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग-पूर्वक (pra- + āp)

• kṛtsnam: entire; complete
• kṛtsnam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛtsna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with phalam)

• vājapeya-atirātrayoḥ: of the Vājapeya and Atirātra (sacrifices)
• vājapeya-atirātrayoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vājapeya (प्रातिपदिक) + atirātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व: वाजपेयः च अतिरात्रः च); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), द्विवचन (genitive dual)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu reclining in Yoga-nidrā on Śeṣa; in the foreground a devotee sets aside bell-metal utensils, choosing simple clay/copper vessels, with a yajña-fire faintly suggested as the ‘equivalent’ merit.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Garuḍa
• Vājapeya
• Atirātra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Small, sincere restraints observed for Viṣṇu during Cāturmāsya are praised as yielding immense, yajña-like merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya setting, but this particular line emphasizes vrata-niyama during Viṣṇu’s sacred sleep rather than naming a single tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoidance (varjana) of kāṃsya (bell-metal/bronze utensils) during the period when Viṣṇu is said to be in Yoga-nidrā (Cāturmāsya).