Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 172

Devanagari script

पूज्य त्रयीमयं लिङ्गं देवीं कात्यायनीं शुभाम् । रात्रौ जागरणं कृत्वा पत्यासि पतिव्रता

Transliteration

pūjya trayīmayaṃ liṅgaṃ devīṃ kātyāyanīṃ śubhām | rātrau jāgaraṇaṃ kṛtvā patyāsi pativratā

Translation

En vénérant le liṅga qui incarne les trois Veda et la bienheureuse Déesse Kātyāyanī, et en veillant toute la nuit, tu obtiendras un époux et seras établie comme pativratā, épouse dévouée et chaste.

Word by Word

• पूज्य: having worshipped
• पूज्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund; ‘having worshipped’), धातु: पूज्

• त्रयीमयम्: consisting of the three Vedas
• त्रयीमयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रयी + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: त्रयीमय = ‘made of the three (Vedas)’; विशेषणम् (qualifying लिङ्गम्)

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• कात्यायनीम्: Kātyāyanī
• कात्यायनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कात्यायनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; देवीम् इति विशेष्यस्य अपपदनाम

• शुभाम्: auspicious
• शुभाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying देवीम्/कात्यायनीम्)

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikaraṇa (Time-locative/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (वैकल्पिक रूप: रात्र्याम्); कालाधिकरण

• जागरणम्: vigil, staying awake
• जागरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कृत्वा इत्यस्य कर्म

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), धातु: कृ

• पत्या: with (your) husband
• पत्या: Karaṇa / Sahārtha (Instrumental/with)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• पतिव्रता: a devoted wife
• पतिव्रता: Karta / Predicate nominative (कर्ता/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतिव्रता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: पतेः व्रता (husband-devoted woman)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night-time shrine scene: a glowing liṅga (symbolically ‘three Vedas’) and Devī Kātyāyanī, devotees keeping vigil with lamps, chanting, and offerings through the night.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva-liṅga
• Kātyāyanī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic-rooted worship of Śiva and Śakti, supported by disciplined vigil (jāgaraṇa), is presented as dharmic means to obtain auspicious worldly stability and virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger context is the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā region); this verse itself emphasizes deity-worship rather than naming a single tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā of the trayīmaya Śiva-liṅga and Goddess Kātyāyanī, along with night-long jāgaraṇa (vigil).