Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

कार्पण्येनाथ वित्तेन यदि कुर्यात्प्रजागरम् । तथा वर्षकृतात्पापान्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

kārpaṇyenātha vittena yadi kuryātprajāgaram | tathā varṣakṛtātpāpānmucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Ob in Armut oder mit Reichtum: Wer die ganze Nacht in wacher Vigil verweilt, wird von den Sünden eines Jahres befreit—daran besteht kein Zweifel.

Word by Word

• कार्पण्येन: by poverty, due to indigence
• कार्पण्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्पण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• अथ: and/then
• अथ: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (discourse particle: ‘then/now/and’)

• वित्तेन: with wealth
• वित्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Hetu/Condition (Condition/हेतु-शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, शर्तबोधक (conditional particle)

• कुर्यात्: should do / would do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• प्रजागरम्: vigil (keeping awake)
• प्रजागरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + जागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: thus, in that way
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb: ‘thus/so’)

• वर्षकृतात्: from (sins) committed over a year
• वर्षकृतात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः तत्पुरुष (वर्षे कृत = done in a year / over a year)

• पापात्: from sin(s)
• पापात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular); (पापान् इत्यर्थे छन्दसि)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• अत्र: here, in this
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (locative adverb: ‘here/in this matter’)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice); specific speaker not explicit in this verse

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A temple courtyard at night: poor and rich devotees alike seated in rows, singing and chanting through the night before a liṅga, lamps and incense filling the air.

Characters & Entities

• prajāgara
• pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere vigil is efficacious regardless of one’s resources, and it functions as a powerful purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse emphasizes the tīrtha-style merit of Śivarātri practice; the specific locale is not named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prajāgara—keeping awake through the sacred night (contextually Śivarātri).