Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 142

Devanagari script

निमिषे निमिषे राजन्नश्वमेधफलं ध्रुवम् । उपवासपराणां च देवायतनवासिनाम्

Transliteration

nimiṣe nimiṣe rājannaśvamedhaphalaṃ dhruvam | upavāsaparāṇāṃ ca devāyatanavāsinām

Translation

À chaque instant, ô Roi, le fruit de l’Aśvamedha est assuré. Il revient à ceux qui se vouent au jeûne et à ceux qui demeurent dans l’enceinte du sanctuaire divin.

Word by Word

• nimiṣe: in a moment
• nimiṣe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• nimiṣe: in each moment
• nimiṣe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; repetition for distributive sense

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• aśvamedha-phalam: the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• aśvamedha-phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध) 'fruit of the Aśvamedha'; Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• dhruvam: certain/assured
• dhruvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; viśeṣaṇa of 'phalam'

• upavāsa-parāṇām: of those devoted to fasting
• upavāsa-parāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: Tatpuruṣa (उपवासनिष्ठ) 'devoted to fasting'; Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठī), Plural

• ca: and
• ca: Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (समुच्चय)

• deva-āyatana-vāsinām: of temple-dwellers
• deva-āyatana-vāsinām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + āyatana (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: Tatpuruṣa (सप्तमी/अधिकरण or षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध sense) 'dwelling in temples'; Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Revā Khaṇḍa narrative instruction to a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Temple courtyard filled with fasting devotees staying overnight; a symbolic Aśvamedha horse and yajña imagery appears as a faint divine vision above them, indicating equivalence of merit.

Characters & Entities

• King (Rājā)
• Aśvamedha
• Deva-āyatana (temple)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Temple-centered discipline—especially fasting—multiplies merit continuously, equated here with great Vedic sacrificial rewards.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) sacred region in the Revā Khaṇḍa, emphasizing merit gained while living in a देवालय (temple precinct) there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upavāsa (fasting) and staying/serving in a temple environment (devāyatana-vāsa).