Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

वासरः को विना सूर्य्यं विना सोमेन का निशा । विना वृक्षेण को ग्रामो द्वादशी किं व्रतं विना

Transliteration

vāsaraḥ ko vinā sūryyaṃ vinā somena kā niśā | vinā vṛkṣeṇa ko grāmo dvādaśī kiṃ vrataṃ vinā

Translation

Was ist ein Tag ohne die Sonne? Was ist eine Nacht ohne den Mond? Was ist ein Dorf ohne einen Baum? Und was ist Dvādaśī ohne ein Gelübde (Vrata)?

Word by Word

• vāsaraḥ: day
• vāsaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन

• kaḥ: what/which (can there be)
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Prepositional particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद-निपात (without)

• sūryam: the sun
• sūryam: Apādāna (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd) एकवचन (vinā-योगे)

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Prepositional particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद (without)

• somena: the moon (Soma)
• somena: Apādāna (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd) एकवचन (vinā-योगे; वैदिक/पुराण-प्रयोगे तृतीया अपि दृश्यते)

• kā: what (can there be)
• kā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन

• niśā: night
• niśā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Prepositional particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद (without)

• vṛkṣeṇa: a tree
• vṛkṣeṇa: Apādāna (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd) एकवचन (vinā-योगे; तृतीया-प्रयोगः)

• kaḥ: what (can there be)
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन

• grāmaḥ: village
• grāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन

• dvādaśī: Dvādaśī
• dvādaśī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन

• kim: what (is it)
• kim: Karta (Predicate interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd) एकवचन

• vratam: vow/observance
• vratam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Prepositional particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद (without)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: Sun illuminating day, Moon illuminating night, a village centered around a great tree, and a devotee holding a vrata-sankalpa on Dvādaśī—four panels showing ‘completeness’.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Soma (Moon)
• Dvādaśī
• Vrata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred life needs its supports: just as the cosmos needs Sun and Moon, Dvādaśī gains meaning through vrata-discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Dvārakā-māhātmya, associating Dvārakā with disciplined devotional practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dvādaśī should be observed with a proper vrata (vow/fast/discipline), not left empty of practice.