Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

त्यजेद्गुह्यं तथाऽरण्यं यत्र न द्वादशीव्रतम्

Transliteration

tyajedguhyaṃ tathā'raṇyaṃ yatra na dvādaśīvratam

Translation

Man soll selbst einen abgeschiedenen Ort, ja sogar einen Wald verlassen, wo das Dvādaśī‑Gelübde (Dvādaśī‑vrata) nicht geübt wird.

Word by Word

• tyajet: should abandon
• tyajet: Kriya (predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tyaj (त्यज्, परित्यागे)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• guhyam: a secret place
• guhyam: Karma (object of 'tyajet')
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; 'गुह्य' = रहस्यम्/गुह्यस्थानम् (secret place)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकार-वाचक (likewise/also)

• araṇyam: a forest
• araṇyam: Karma (object of 'tyajet')
• Type: Noun
• Root: araṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (relative locus)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/अवसर-वाचक (where)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• dvādaśī-vratam: the Dvādaśī vow (fast/observance)
• dvādaśī-vratam: Karta (subject in relative clause: 'is not')
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśī (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्वादश्याः व्रतम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purāṇa context within Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A quiet forest āśrama with deer and trees, but no worship—contrasted with a small village shrine where devotees observe Dvādaśī with lamps and tulasī; the pilgrim chooses the latter.

Characters & Entities

• Dvādaśī-vrata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness is sustained by vrata and discipline; without observance, even naturally ‘pure’ places are considered spiritually unfit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is the surrounding Māhātmya context, while the teaching is framed as a general Vaiṣṇava standard.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dvādaśī-vrata (Vaiṣṇava vow on the twelfth lunar day), implying fasting, worship, and devotional conduct.