Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

उन्मीलिनी कृता येन रात्रौ जागरणान्विता । प्रभवंति न पापानि स्थूलसूक्ष्माणि तस्य तु

Transliteration

unmīlinī kṛtā yena rātrau jāgaraṇānvitā | prabhavaṃti na pāpāni sthūlasūkṣmāṇi tasya tu

Translation

Wer nachts in der als unmīlinī bezeichneten Nachtwache wach bleibt, bei dem entstehen keine Sünden, weder grobe noch feine.

Word by Word

• unmīlinī: the ‘unmīlinī’ vigil (wakeful rite)
• unmīlinī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: unmīlinī (प्रातिपदिक; √mīl-णिनि)
• Form: कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (णिनि), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; रात्रिजागर-विशेषवाचक (a night-vigil observance)

• kṛtā: performed
• kṛtā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘unmīlinī’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (done/observed)

• yena: by whom
• yena: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• jāgaraṇānvitā: accompanied by vigil
• jāgaraṇānvitā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jāgaraṇa + anvita (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषसमासवत् (jāgaraṇena anvitaḥ)

• prabhavanti: arise; come into being
• prabhavanti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• pāpāni: sins
• pāpāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• sthūlasūkṣmāṇi: gross and subtle
• sthūlasūkṣmāṇi: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthūla + sūkṣma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (sthūlāni ca sūkṣmāṇi ca)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tu: indeed; however
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-अव्यय

Speaker

Narrator within Dvārakā-māhātmya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā/Prabhāsa Hari-jāgaraṇa (Unmīlinī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee sits upright through the night, eyes open (unmīlinī), counting beads; shadowy forms symbolizing ‘subtle sins’ dissolve in the lamp-light as dawn approaches.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual wakefulness (jāgaraṇa) is portrayed as a strong purifier that prevents and destroys both subtle and overt sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction belongs to the Dvārakā-māhātmya section of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Keeping vigil through the night (unmīlinī/jāgaraṇa) as a devotional observance.