Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

आश्वयुक्कृष्णपक्षे तु चतुर्दश्यां महानिशि । धैर्यमालंब्य निर्भीकः स सिद्धिं प्राप्नुयान्नरः

Transliteration

āśvayukkṛṣṇapakṣe tu caturdaśyāṃ mahāniśi | dhairyamālaṃbya nirbhīkaḥ sa siddhiṃ prāpnuyānnaraḥ

Translation

In der vierzehnten Nacht (caturdaśī) der dunklen Monatshälfte des Āśvayuja, in jener großen Nacht, erlangt der Mensch, der sich auf Standhaftigkeit stützt und furchtlos bleibt, die Siddhi, die geistige Vollendung.

Word by Word

• आश्वयुक्कृष्णपक्षे: in the dark fortnight of Āśvayuja
• आश्वयुक्कृष्णपक्षे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्वयुक्-कृष्णपक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समास: आश्वयुजः कृष्णः पक्षः (in the dark fortnight of Āśvayuja)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महानिशि: on the great night
• महानिशि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानिशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समास: महती च सा निशा (on the great night)

• धैर्यम्: steadfastness
• धैर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धैर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आलम्ब्य: having relied on
• आलम्ब्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-लम्ब् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerund), ‘having relied on/taken support of’

• निर्भीकः: fearless
• निर्भीकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्भीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘सः/नरः’)

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

• सिद्धिम्: attainment
• सिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्नुयात्: would attain
• प्राप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (within Īśvara–Devī dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddheśvara (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī/Mahādevī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone pilgrim stands fearless in a lamp-lit shrine at Prabhāsa on the dark-fortnight fourteenth night, holding steady posture before a Śiva-liṅga as the sea-wind and temple bells mark the ‘great night’.

Characters & Entities

• Āśvayuja (month)
• Kṛṣṇapakṣa
• Caturdaśī
• Mahāniśā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Courageous steadiness in sacred observance—especially at potent calendrical moments—is celebrated as a gateway to accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Siddheśvara sacred setting in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where such night-practice is said to bear fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance on Āśvayuja kṛṣṇa caturdaśī at night, undertaken with firmness and fearlessness (implying night-japa/vrata in context).