Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

त्रिरात्रिं कुरुते यस्तु वसिष्ठाग्रे समाहितः । स याति च महर्लोकं जरामरणवर्जितः

Transliteration

trirātriṃ kurute yastu vasiṣṭhāgre samāhitaḥ | sa yāti ca maharlokaṃ jarāmaraṇavarjitaḥ

Translation

Wer mit konzentriertem Geist vor Ṛṣi Vasiṣṭha ein Gelübde von drei Nächten hält, gelangt nach Maharloka und ist frei von Alter und Tod.

Word by Word

• त्रिरात्रिम्: a three-night (vow)/three nights
• त्रिरात्रिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (‘त्रयः रात्रयः’ = three nights, as a unit)

• कुरुते: does/observes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

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

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• वसिष्ठाग्रे: in front of Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठाग्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘वसिष्ठस्य अग्रे’)

• समाहितः: composed/attentive
• समाहितः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + धा (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त

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

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात (and)

• महर्लोकम्: Maharloka
• महर्लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर् + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नामधेय-समासः)

• जरामरणवर्जितः: free from old age and death
• जरामरणवर्जितः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जरा + मरण + वर्जित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वपूर्वक-तत्पुरुषः (‘जरा च मरणं च ताभ्यां वर्जितः’)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced, Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vasiṣṭha-tīrtha (Arbuda)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three-night austerity: the devotee remains steady before Vasiṣṭha’s seat, with changing phases of night indicated; above, a luminous Maharloka realm with sages in meditation, free from aging imagery (ever-youthful serenity).

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Maharloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disciplined vows (vrata) performed with inner steadiness at a sanctified locus are portrayed as gateways to higher worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The worship-space ‘before Vasiṣṭha’ at his āśrama in the Arbuda Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A trirātra observance—undertaking a three-night vow with focused mind in Vasiṣṭha’s presence.