Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

उपोषणपरो भूत्वा तथैवासीदहर्निशम् । अथान्येद्युर्मुनिर्व्यासः कृत्वा माध्याह्निकं विधिम्

Transliteration

upoṣaṇaparo bhūtvā tathaivāsīdaharniśam | athānyedyurmunirvyāsaḥ kṛtvā mādhyāhnikaṃ vidhim

Translation

Résolu au jeûne, il demeura ainsi jour et nuit. Puis, le lendemain, le sage Vyāsa, après avoir accompli le rite de midi…

Word by Word

• उपोषणपरः: devoted to fasting
• उपोषणपरः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपोषण + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (उपोषणे परः = fasting-devoted); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: पूर्वकर्म (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), ‘having become’

• तथा: thus; in that manner
• तथा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: निपात (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/emphasis)

• आसीत्: he remained/was
• आसीत्: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अहर्निशम्: day and night
• अहर्निशम्: कालाधिकरण (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहन् + निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व (अहः च निशा च), अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययार्थः ‘day and night’

• अथ: then
• अथ: सम्बन्ध (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/particle)

• अन्येद्युः: next day
• अन्येद्युः: कालाधिकरण (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्य + द्युस्/द्युः (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal adverb), ‘on the next day’

• मुनिः: sage
• मुनिः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: कर्ता (Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; मुनिः इति समानाधिकरण

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: पूर्वकर्म (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), ‘having done’

• माध्याह्निकम्: midday (rite)
• माध्याह्निकम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्याह्न + इक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधिम् इति विशेषण

• विधिम्: procedure/rite
• विधिम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator voice within Skanda’s discourse (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night passes with the sage and disciples fasting; at the next day’s midday, Vyāsa performs madhyāhnika—standing or seated with water vessel, facing the proper direction, composed despite continued hunger.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fasting becomes a conscious vow when borne with steadiness; ritual discipline anchors the mind through adversity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where tapas (austerity) and nitya-karma are shown as naturally flourishing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upoṣaṇa (fasting) and the mādhyāhnika vidhi (midday rite) are explicitly referenced.