Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सम्प्राप्ते कार्त्तिके मासि नवम्यां शुक्लपक्षतः । सोपवासः शुचिर्भूत्वा दीपकांस्तत्र दापयेत्

Transliteration

samprāpte kārttike māsi navamyāṃ śuklapakṣataḥ | sopavāsaḥ śucirbhūtvā dīpakāṃstatra dāpayet

Translation

Quand vient le mois de Kārttika, au neuvième jour lunaire de la quinzaine claire, qu’on jeûne, qu’on demeure pur, et qu’on fasse allumer là des lampes en offrande.

Word by Word

• सम्प्राप्ते: when (it) has arrived
• सम्प्राप्ते: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-प्राप् (धातु) → सम्प्राप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे/स्त्रीलिङ्गे सम्भवम्; सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative singular) — 'when/at the time having arrived'

• कार्त्तिके: in Kārttika
• कार्त्तिके: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्त्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative singular) — 'in (the month) Kārttika'

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative singular)

• नवम्याम्: on the ninth day (tithi)
• नवम्याम्: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नवमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-एकवचन (Locative singular) — 'on the ninth (tithi)'

• शुक्लपक्षतः: from the bright fortnight
• शुक्लपक्षतः: अपादान (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्ल-पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (शुक्लः पक्षः); पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-एकवचन (Ablative singular) — 'from/with reference to the bright fortnight'

• सोपवासः: fasting (with a fast)
• सोपवासः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-उपवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सः उपवासः/उपवासयुक्तः); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भू (धातु) → भूत्वा (क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (gerund/absolutive), अव्यय — 'having become'

• दीपकान्: lamps
• दीपकान्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीपक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Accusative plural)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• दापयेत्: should cause (them) to be given/placed
• दापयेत्: विधेय क्रिया (Main predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) [णिच् causative: दापय-]
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष-एकवचन (3rd person singular) — 'should cause to give/should have (them) offered'

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (narādhipa/rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clean, fasting pilgrim at a Narmadā ghāṭa at dusk on Kārttika śukla navamī, arranging rows of oil lamps; river glows with reflections; nearby a Śiva shrine silhouette.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika (month)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seasonal sacred time (Kārttika) intensifies merit: purity, fasting, and offering light are praised as potent dharmic acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘there’ refers to the Gopeśvara tīrtha on the Narmadā’s northern bank in Adhyāya 174.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kārttika bright-half Navamī observance: upavāsa (fasting), śauca (purity), and dīpa-dāna (lighting/offering lamps) at the tīrtha.