Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

फाल्गुन्यां हिमवत्पृष्ठे वसन्नेकां निशां नरः । स याति परमं स्थानं यत्र देवो जनार्द्दनः

Transliteration

phālgunyāṃ himavatpṛṣṭhe vasannekāṃ niśāṃ naraḥ | sa yāti paramaṃ sthānaṃ yatra devo janārddanaḥ

Translation

Wenn im Monat Phālguna ein Mensch nur eine einzige Nacht an den Hängen des Himavat verweilt, gelangt er zur höchsten Stätte, wo der Herr Janārdana weilt.

Word by Word

• फाल्गुन्याम्: in (the month of) Phālguna
• फाल्गुन्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• हिमवत्पृष्ठे: on the back/slope of Himavat (Himalaya)
• हिमवत्पृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिमवत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (हिमवतः पृष्ठम्)

• वसन्: staying/dwelling
• वसन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), प्रथमा-एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘dwelling/staying’

• एकाम्: one
• एकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; ‘one’ (qualifies निशाम्)

• निशाम्: night
• निशाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

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

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies स्थानम्)

• स्थानम्: abode/place
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्ध-बोधक (relative adverb: ‘where’)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जनार्द्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्द्दनः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्द्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध (apposition to देवः)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced, Prabhāsakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himavat-pṛṣṭha (Himalayan slopes)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone pilgrim wrapped against the Phālguna chill, spending one night on a Himalayan slope near a small shrine; stars overhead; in the sky, a vision of Janārdana’s radiant abode appears like a golden city beyond clouds.

Characters & Entities

• Phālguna
• Himavat
• Janārdana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even brief contact with a sanctified landscape, aligned with sacred time, is said to grant the highest spiritual destination.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Himavat (the Himalayan sacred region) is praised as a gateway to Janārdana’s supreme abode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Spending one night (a devotional stay) on Himavat during the month of Phālguna.