Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

अहोरात्रोपवासेन विधिवत्तां विसर्जयेत् । या सा यमपुरे घोरे नदी वैतरणी स्मृता

Transliteration

ahorātropavāsena vidhivattāṃ visarjayet | yā sā yamapure ghore nadī vaitaraṇī smṛtā

Translation

Après avoir jeûné jour et nuit, selon le rite prescrit, qu’on achève cette offrande et qu’on la donne en don. Ce don est tenu pour la redoutable rivière Vaitaraṇī dans la cité de Yama, car il devient le moyen de la traverser.

Word by Word

• अहोरात्रोपवासेन: by the day-and-night fast
• अहोरात्रोपवासेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहोरात्र + उपवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अहोरात्रस्य उपवासः)

• विधिवत्: according to rule, duly
• विधिवत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• ताम्: her/that (river)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विसर्जयेत्: should cross/let go, should pass beyond
• विसर्जयेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विसृज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), एकवचन

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• सा: that
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ सर्वनाम

• यमपुरे: in Yama’s city
• यमपुरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमपुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यमस्य पुरम्)

• घोरे: terrible
• घोरे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (यमपुरे)

• नदी: river
• नदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• वैतरणी: Vaitaraṇī (name of the river)
• वैतरणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैतरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• स्मृता: is called/remembered as
• स्मृता: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्तः भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय-विशेषणम् (नदी)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Revā Khaṇḍa (exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A votary, after a day-night fast, ritually ‘releases’ a sesame-made cow (tila-dhenu) as dāna; in the subtle background, the dread river Vaitaraṇī is shown as being crossed by the merit of the gift.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Vaitaraṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disciplined vow (fasting) joined with properly performed charity becomes a saving support in the afterlife, symbolically enabling passage beyond Yama’s terrors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate imagery is Yama’s realm (not a terrestrial tīrtha); the broader chapter remains within Revā/Narmadā Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A full day-and-night fast (ahorātra-upavāsa) followed by the rule-bound completion/donation (visarjana) of the prescribed gift (contextually, tila-dhenu).