Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

शाकाहारं पयोहारं फलाहारमथापि वा । चरेद्यवान्नाहारं वा संप्राप्ते कार्तिके व्रती

Transliteration

śākāhāraṃ payohāraṃ phalāhāramathāpi vā | caredyavānnāhāraṃ vā saṃprāpte kārtike vratī

Translation

Quand Kārtika est venu, l’observant peut se nourrir de légumes, ou de lait, ou de fruits; ou bien subsister de nourriture d’orge, selon la discipline du vœu.

Word by Word

• śāka-āhāram: vegetable diet
• śāka-āhāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāka (प्रातिपदिक) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शाकस्य आहारः) — Masculine, Accusative singular

• payaḥ-āhāram: milk diet
• payaḥ-āhāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: payaḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पयसः आहारः) — Masculine, Accusative singular

• phala-āhāram: fruit diet
• phala-āhāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः — Masculine, Accusative singular

• atha: then, or else
• atha: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conj./sequencer) — ‘or else/then’

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (inclusive/emphatic) — ‘also/even’

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय — ‘or’

• caret: should practice/follow
• caret: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम् — Optative, 3rd person singular

• yavānna-āhāram: barley-food diet
• yavānna-āhāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yava (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यवान्नस्य आहारः) — Masculine, Accusative singular

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय — ‘or’

• saṃprāpte: when arrived
• saṃprāpte: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + √prāp (धातु) → saṃprāpta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्तम् — Locative singular; ‘when arrived’

• kārtike: in Kārtika
• kārtike: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārtika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular

• vratī: the vow-observer
• vratī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vratin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ūrja/Kārtika-vrata (Kāśī context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A votary in Kāśī preparing simple offerings and simple food: a bowl of fruits, a pot of milk, barley cakes, and vegetables; nearby, a lamp and Gaṅgā water-pot indicate the Kārtika regimen.

Characters & Entities

• Kārtika

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity and restraint in food during Kārtika supports the vow and deepens devotional merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Kāśī Khaṇḍa (Kashi’s sacred milieu), though the verse is primarily about Kārtika dietary discipline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Permitted vow-diets are listed: vegetables, milk, fruits, or barley-based food during Kārtika.