Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

रात्रौ जागरणं कृत्वा देवस्याग्रे नृपोत्तम । दीपं भक्त्या घृतेनैव देवस्याग्रे निवेदयेत्

Transliteration

rātrau jāgaraṇaṃ kṛtvā devasyāgre nṛpottama | dīpaṃ bhaktyā ghṛtenaiva devasyāgre nivedayet

Translation

ഹേ നൃപോത്തമാ! ദേവന്റെ സന്നിധിയിൽ രാത്രി ജാഗരണം നടത്തി, ഭക്തിയോടെ നെയ്യ്‌ദീപം പ്രഭുവിന്റെ മുമ്പിൽ സമർപ്പിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• jāgaraṇam: wakefulness; vigil
• jāgaraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• devasya: of the deity
• devasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• agre: in front; before
• agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• nṛpa-uttama: O best of kings
• nṛpa-uttama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (uttamaḥ nṛpaḥ)

• dīpam: lamp
• dīpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• ghṛtena: with ghee
• ghṛtena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• eva: indeed; only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• devasya: of the deity
• devasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• agre: before; in front
• agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• nivedayet: should offer; should present
• nivedayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (धातु) with ni- ‘to offer/present’
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate continuation in Adhyāya 103)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Manmatheśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpottama / Bhārata (royal listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A kingly devotee and attendants keep night-vigil in a lamp-lit temple hall; a bright ghee lamp is placed directly before the Śiva-liṅga, casting golden light on pillars and worshippers’ faces.

Characters & Entities

• Deva
• Dīpa
• Ghṛta
• Jāgaraṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady devotion expressed through vigilance and sacred light-offering is a direct form of worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rite is framed within the Manmatheśvara tīrtha narrative of Revā-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Keep night-long jāgaraṇa before the deity and offer a ghee lamp (ghṛta-dīpa) in front of the Lord.