Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

चकार पुरतस्तस्य गीतवाद्येन जागरम् । ततोऽर्धरात्रसमये वागुवाचाशरीरिणी

Transliteration

cakāra puratastasya gītavādyena jāgaram | tato'rdharātrasamaye vāguvācāśarīriṇī

Translation

彼は御前で歌と楽器の調べによって夜を徹して覚醒し続けた。やがて真夜中の時、無形の声が再び語った。

Word by Word

• cakāra: did, performed
• cakāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद, perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• purataḥ: in front
• purataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puratas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) = in front of

• tasya: of him/that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• gīta-vādyena: with song and instrumental music
• gīta-vādyena: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gīta (प्रातिपदिक) + vādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (गीतं च वाद्यं च); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (समाहार-द्वन्द्व-एकवचन)

• jāgaram: a vigil, wakefulness-rite
• jāgaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• ardha-rātra-samaye: at midnight time
• ardha-rātra-samaye: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ardha (प्रातिपदिक) + rātra (प्रातिपदिक) + samaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (अर्धरात्रस्य समये); पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• vāk: a voice
• vāk: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said, spoke
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद, perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• aśarīriṇī: bodiless
• aśarīriṇī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + śarīrinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-समासभाव (अशरीरा) = bodiless; विशेषण of ‘वाक्’

Speaker

Aśarīriṇī Vāk (disembodied voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha-Prabhāsa region)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee keeps a midnight vigil before a radiant liṅga, singing with cymbals and vīṇā/drum; the temple space is lamp-lit, and an unseen voice seems to descend from the sanctum’s darkness.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Somēśvara
• Aśarīriṇī Vāk

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady devotion—through vigil and sacred music—invites divine response and guidance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somēśvara at Prabhāsakṣetra, where night-vigil devotion is presented as spiritually potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jāgaraṇa (keeping vigil) accompanied by devotional singing and instrumental music.