Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 18
चकोरश्चंद्रिकाभोक्ता नक्तव्रतमिवास्थितः । पठंति सारिकाः सारं शुकं संबोधयत्यहो
cakoraścaṃdrikābhoktā naktavratamivāsthitaḥ | paṭhaṃti sārikāḥ sāraṃ śukaṃ saṃbodhayatyaho
L’oiseau cakora, buvant la clarté lunaire, demeure comme s’il observait un vœu de nuit. Les mainates récitent l’essentiel, et—merveille—le perroquet instruit, tel un maître de parole et de connaissance.
Narrator/teacher voice (contextual speaker not explicit in this verse; within Dharmāraṇya Māhātmya narration)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Scene: Moonlit grove: a cakora gazes upward ‘drinking’ moonbeams; mynas appear as if chanting; a parrot perched like a teacher addresses attentive listeners; the scene blends naturalism with allegory of learning and vows.
FAQs
The holy place is so dharmic that even nature appears to practice vows and transmit ‘essence-teaching’—a sign of pervasive sanctity.
Dharmāraṇya, whose atmosphere is portrayed as filled with vrata-like discipline and wisdom.
No direct prescription; the verse alludes to naktavrata (night-vow) as a metaphor for disciplined living.