Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

अयने विषुवे चैव संक्रांतौ कीदृशं फलम् । माघमासे चतुर्दश्यां यादृशं जागरे कृते

Transliteration

ayane viṣuve caiva saṃkrāṃtau kīdṛśaṃ phalam | māghamāse caturdaśyāṃ yādṛśaṃ jāgare kṛte

Translation

Welcher Verdienst-Frucht wird zur Ayana (Sonnenwende), zur Viṣuva (Tagundnachtgleiche) und an einem Saṅkrānti erlangt? Und welche unvergleichliche Frucht wird gewonnen, wenn man am vierzehnten Tag des Monats Māgha die nächtliche Vigil (jāgara) vollzieht?

Word by Word

• अयने: at the solstice (ayana)
• अयने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• विषुवे: at the equinox
• विषुवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphasis)

• संक्रान्तौ: at the saṅkrānti (solar transit)
• संक्रान्तौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्रान्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• कीदृशम्: what kind of
• कीदृशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक-विशेषण

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• माघमासे: in the month of Māgha
• माघमासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघ + मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (माघः मासः)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यादृशम्: of what sort
• यादृशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध/प्रश्नार्थक-विशेषण (of what sort)

• जागरे: in the vigil (night-wake)
• जागरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• कृते: when performed/done
• कृते: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘कृते’ = ‘being done/when done’

Speaker

Devāṅganā (addressing Indra/Sureśvara) inferred from the rhetorical build-up

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred night in Māgha: devotees keep vigil on caturdaśī with lamps, chanting, and temple circumambulation; cosmic markers (solstice/equinox/saṅkrānti) are referenced as lesser benchmarks.

Characters & Entities

• Ayana
• Viṣuva
• Saṅkrānti
• Māgha
• Caturdaśī
• Jāgaraṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right timing joined to devotion matters: the Māgha caturdaśī night-vigil is exalted above many calendrical holy moments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights a time-observance (Māgha caturdaśī vigil) within the Vastrāpathakṣetra māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jāgaraṇa (night vigil) on Māgha month’s caturdaśī; it is compared against ayana, viṣuva, and saṅkrānti observances.