Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

उपवासपरो भूत्वा यः कुर्याद्रात्रिजागरम् । कामगेन विमानेन स स्वर्गे याति मानवः

Transliteration

upavāsaparo bhūtvā yaḥ kuryādrātrijāgaram | kāmagena vimānena sa svarge yāti mānavaḥ

Translation

Wer dem Fasten hingegeben ist und die Nacht in Wache verbringt, der Mensch gelangt in den Himmel in einem himmlischen Vimāna, das sich nach Wunsch bewegt.

Word by Word

• उपवासपरः: devoted to fasting
• उपवासपरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपवास (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपवासे परः = उपवासपरः (तत्पुरुषः)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; ‘having become’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकः (relative pronoun)

• कुर्यात्: should do / would perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रात्रिजागरम्: night vigil
• रात्रिजागरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + जागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; रात्रौ जागरम् = रात्रिजागरम् (तत्पुरुषः)

• कामगेन: wish-moving
• कामगेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘at will-going’ (qualifying विमानेन)

• विमानेन: by an aerial car
• विमानेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मानवः: a man
• मानवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सः मानवः (apposition)

Speaker

Brahmasaṃbhava Muni (deduced from concluding verse of the passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahāyogipura-kṣetra (as implied by the surrounding verses)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim, emaciated by fasting yet radiant, keeps an all-night vigil before a Śiva-liṅga; lamps flicker, devotees chant; above, a luminous wish-moving vimāna descends amid celestial beings.

Characters & Entities

• Upavāsa
• Rātrijāgara
• Svarga
• Vimāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-restraint (fasting) and devotional vigilance (jāgara) are praised as powerful vrata-practices yielding exalted results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding passage glorifies Rudrāvarta/Mahāyogipura; this verse states the general fruit of upavāsa and night-vigil in that context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upavāsa (fasting) and rātrijāgara (staying awake at night as vigil).