Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

मृन्मयं वर्तते लिगं रात्रौ चानेन पूजितः । रात्रौ जागरणं कर्त्तुं येन कार्येण चागतः

Transliteration

mṛnmayaṃ vartate ligaṃ rātrau cānena pūjitaḥ | rātrau jāgaraṇaṃ karttuṃ yena kāryeṇa cāgataḥ

Translation

Dort gibt es einen Liṅga aus Lehm, und er verehrte ihn in der Nacht. Er war gekommen, um die nächtliche Vigil die ganze Nacht hindurch zu vollziehen.

Word by Word

• मृन्मयम्: made of clay
• मृन्मयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृन्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• वर्तते: exists/stands/is present
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावे (locative of time)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• अनेन: by this (person/means)
• अनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पूजितः: worshipped
• पूजितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle)

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; कालाधिकरणम्

• जागरणम्: wakefulness/night-vigil
• जागरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• कर्तुम्: to do/perform
• कर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + तुमुन् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive); क्रियार्थक

• येन: by which/with which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध/हेतु-प्रयोगे

• कार्येण: by a task/for a purpose
• कार्येण: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• आगतः: has come/arrived
• आगतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ√गम् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि (past participle, intransitive sense)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic speaker; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Citragupta (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Under a starry night, a devotee-hunter kneels before a small clay liṅga, lamp flickering, offering water and bilva leaves, determined to stay awake in vigil.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva-liṅga (clay)
• Lubdhaka (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere night worship and vigil (jāgaraṇa) sanctify the devotee and the place, even with simple offerings like a clay liṅga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vastrāpatha sacred setting where a clay liṅga is present and worshipped as part of the tīrtha’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Rātri-pūjā (night worship) and jāgaraṇa (keeping vigil through the night).