Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

प्रतिमासं तृतीयायामेवमाराध्य वत्सरम् । व्रतसंपूर्तये कुर्यात्स्थंडिलेऽग्निसमर्चनम्

Transliteration

pratimāsaṃ tṛtīyāyāmevamārādhya vatsaram | vratasaṃpūrtaye kuryātsthaṃḍile'gnisamarcanam

Translation

Así, adorando en la tṛtīyā, el tercer día lunar de cada mes, durante un año entero, para consumar el voto debe realizarse la adoración al fuego sobre un altar de tierra preparado (sthaṇḍila).

Word by Word

• prati-māsam: every month
• prati-māsam: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय) + māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययत्वेन प्रयोगः; अर्थे—प्रत्येकमासम् (each month)

• tṛtīyāyām: on the third (tithi)
• tṛtīyāyām: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तृतीया-तिथौ (on the third lunar day)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner-adverb)

• ārādhya: having worshipped
• ārādhya: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√rādh (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वकर्म (having worshipped/propitiated)

• vatsaram: for a year
• vatsaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणम्

• vrata-saṃpūrtaye: for the completion of the vow
• vrata-saṃpūrtaye: Sampradana (Purpose/प्रयोजन-सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃpūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (vratasya saṃpūrtiḥ); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (for the purpose)

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• sthaṃḍile: on a (prepared) ground/altar-spot
• sthaṃḍile: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthaṃḍila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; स्थानाधिकरणे (on the ground/altar-spot)

• agni-samarcanam: proper worship of Agni
• agni-samarcanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + sam-arcanam (√arc धातु; प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-नाम)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (agner samarcanam); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मरूपेण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A night-time vow-completion scene in Kāśī: a devotee prepares a square earthen sthaṇḍila, kindles a small sacred fire, and offers oblations with folded hands; distant silhouettes of ghāṭas and temple spires suggest the city’s sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Tṛtīyā (lunar day)
• Agni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady monthly discipline culminates in a concluding rite, emphasizing completion (saṃpūrti) in dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the textual setting; the verse highlights a vrata practice associated with Kāśī’s ritual life.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship on monthly tṛtīyā for one year, then perform sthaṇḍila-based fire worship to complete the vow.