Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 197

Devanagari script

क्षुद्राः पश्चिमवाहिन्यो नद्यः शुष्यंति कार्त्तिके । एकादशीव्रतं नास्ति कृष्णा या च चतुर्द्दशी

Transliteration

kṣudrāḥ paścimavāhinyo nadyaḥ śuṣyaṃti kārttike | ekādaśīvrataṃ nāsti kṛṣṇā yā ca caturddaśī

Translation

Les rivières deviendront chétives, couleront vers l’ouest et se dessécheront au mois de Kārttika ; l’observance du vœu d’Ekādaśī disparaîtra, et la sainte Caturdaśī du Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa sera pareillement négligée.

Word by Word

• क्षुद्राः: small/petty
• क्षुद्राः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘nadyaḥ’)

• पश्चिमवाहिन्यः: flowing westward
• पश्चिमवाहिन्यः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक) + वाहिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘nadyaḥ’)

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तृपद

• शुष्यन्ति: dry up
• शुष्यन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; अकर्मक

• कार्त्तिके: in Kārttika (month)
• कार्त्तिके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (in the month of Kārttika)

• एकादशीव्रतम्: the Ekādaśī vow/fast
• एकादशीव्रतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादशी (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय (that which is absent)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• अस्ति: exists/is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• कृष्णा: the dark fortnight (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa)
• कृष्णा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विषय (the dark fortnight)

• या: which
• या: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध/अन्वय (relative pronoun referring to ‘caturddaśī’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• चतुर्द्दशी: the fourteenth lunar day (caturdaśī)
• चतुर्द्दशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विषय (the 14th lunar day)

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa Māhātmya dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa-maṇḍala)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A parched riverbed in Kārttika with a thin westward stream; neglected ghāṭas and abandoned vrata paraphernalia (tulasī, lamps, fasting marks) symbolizing the fading of Ekādaśī and Caturdaśī observances.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika
• Ekādaśī
• Caturdaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kali-yuga is marked by neglect of vrata and sacred time; restoring observances like Ekādaśī renews dharma and inner discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; the month of Kārttika and dhārmic observances are foregrounded within the Vastrāpatha Māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ekādaśī-vrata (fasting/observance) and attention to sacred tithis such as Kṛṣṇa Caturdaśī.