Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

एकादश्यां महाराज निराहारो जितेन्द्रियः । यस्तत्र जागरं कृत्वा लिंगस्याग्रे सुभक्तितः

Transliteration

ekādaśyāṃ mahārāja nirāhāro jitendriyaḥ | yastatra jāgaraṃ kṛtvā liṃgasyāgre subhaktitaḥ

Translation

O großer König, am Tage Ekādaśī: Wer fastet, die Sinne zügelt und dort in wahrer Hingabe vor dem Śiva-Liṅga die ganze Nacht hindurch Wache hält,—

Word by Word

• एकादश्याम्: on Ekādaśī
• एकादश्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समास: महा + राज (कर्मधारय)

• निराहारः: fasting (without food)
• निराहारः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निराहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (यः इत्यस्य)

• जितेन्द्रियः: one who has conquered the senses
• जितेन्द्रियः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित + इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; समास: जित (क्त, √जि) + इन्द्रिय (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: ‘जितानि इन्द्रियाणि येन’); विशेषणम् (यः)

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• जागरम्: vigil (night-wake)
• जागरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), धातु: कृ

• लिङ्गस्य: of the liṅga
• लिङ्गस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• अग्रे: in front
• अग्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• सुभक्तितः: out of sincere devotion
• सुभक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/motive/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सु + भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb), स्त्रीप्रातिपदिक ‘भक्ति’ + तः; अर्थ: ‘सुभक्त्या/सुभक्तितः’ (out of good devotion)

Speaker

Pulastya (deduced from immediate continuation in 35.1: 'Pulastya uvāca')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛṣṇa-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja / rājendra (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night in a lamp-lit shrine: devotees seated before a black stone liṅga, singing and reciting; some stand with folded hands; fasting ascetics with calm faces; the king’s presence implied as listener of the instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva-liṅga
• Ekādaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-restraint—fasting, sense-control, and devotional vigil—becomes a powerful means of purification when performed at a sanctified Śaiva site.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Kṛṣṇa-tīrtha context in Arbuda Khaṇḍa (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa), where worship before a liṅga at the tīrtha is praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ekādaśī upavāsa (fasting), jitendriyatā (sense-control), and jāgaraṇa (night vigil) before the Śiva-liṅga.