Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 105

Devanagari script

द्वादशाब्दं व्रतमिदं कर्त्तव्यं प्रतिवत्सरम् । जीवितं चंचलं नृणां यदि कर्तुं न शक्यते

Transliteration

dvādaśābdaṃ vratamidaṃ karttavyaṃ prativatsaram | jīvitaṃ caṃcalaṃ nṛṇāṃ yadi kartuṃ na śakyate

Translation

Dieses heilige Gelübde soll zwölf Jahre lang auf sich genommen und Jahr für Jahr eingehalten werden. Doch das Menschenleben ist unbeständig; wenn man es nicht so lange vermag…

Word by Word

• dvādaśābdam: of twelve years
• dvādaśābdam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of vratam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + abda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; ‘of twelve years’)

• vratam: vow, observance
• vratam: Karma / Viṣaya (Object/topic in injunction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• idam: this
• idam: Viśeṣaṇa (Demonstrative of vratam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• kartavyam: to be done, must be performed
• kartavyam: Vidhi (Obligation predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृत्य-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; तव्यत्-कृत्य (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; gerundive/obligatory)

• prativatsaram: every year
• prativatsaram: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय) + vatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव समास; क्रियाविशेषण (Avyayībhāva; adverbial)

• jīvitam: life
• jīvitam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• cañcalam: unstable, fickle
• cañcalam: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective to jīvitam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cañcala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• nṛṇām: of men, of people
• nṛṇām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तसूचक अव्यय (Indeclinable; conditional particle)

• kartum: to do
• kartum: Prayojana/Anukūla-kriyā (Complement of śakyate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tumun (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: तुमुनन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Infinitive)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (Indeclinable; negation)

• śakyate: is possible, can be
• śakyate: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śak (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Present Indicative, 3rd person singular, Middle)

Speaker

Sārasvata

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage outlines a twelve-year vow; behind him, a symbolic wheel of twelve segments (years) encircles a liṅga. The king’s face shows concern about life’s uncertainty, met with the teacher’s compassionate steadiness.

Characters & Entities

• Śivarātri-vrata (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma recommends sustained practice, yet compassionately acknowledges life’s uncertainty and prepares an alternative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vow-instruction appears within Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A twelve-year vrata, observed annually, is prescribed (with an implied allowance if one cannot complete it).