Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

शिवरात्रिसमं पुण्यमित्येवं शिवभाषितम् । वाजपेयाश्वमेधाभ्यां फलं भवति नान्यथा

Transliteration

śivarātrisamaṃ puṇyamityevaṃ śivabhāṣitam | vājapeyāśvamedhābhyāṃ phalaṃ bhavati nānyathā

Translation

“ശിവരാത്രിയോടു തുല്യമായ പുണ്യം”—എന്ന് സ്വയം ശിവൻ പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു. ഇതിന്റെ ഫലം വാജപേയവും അശ്വമേധവും യാഗഫലത്തോടു സമം; നിശ്ചയം, മറ്റല്ല।

Word by Word

• शिवरात्रि-समम्: equal to the Śivarātri (in merit)
• शिवरात्रि-समम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिवरात्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘पुण्यम्’ इत्यस्य

• पुण्यम्: merit; a holy act
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; वाक्ये विधेय/उद्देश्यभावः

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• एवम्: in this manner
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• शिव-भाषितम्: spoken by Śiva
• शिव-भाषितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + भाषित (कृदन्त; √भाष् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), कर्मणि/भावे; ‘(इदं) शिवेन भाषितम्’

• वाजपेय-अश्वमेधाभ्याम्: by (the sacrifices) Vājapeya and Aśvamedha
• वाजपेय-अश्वमेधाभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजपेय (प्रातिपदिक) + अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), द्विवचन; साधन/तुलनार्थ-निर्देशः

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• भवति: arises; becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: otherwise)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rudraghaṭa (Rudra-ghaṭa) on Revā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, as the authoritative speaker, proclaims the incomparable merit of Śivarātri; in the background a river-ghāṭa tīrtha with lamps and devotees suggests the vow-night.

Characters & Entities

• Śivarātri
• Śiva
• Vājapeya
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional vow (vrata) performed with sincerity can yield merit on par with the grandest sacrificial rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The claim crowns the Māṇḍaveśvara/Māṇḍavya-Nārāyaṇa Śivarātri-māhātmya being taught in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śivarātri observance is upheld as supremely meritorious, explicitly compared to Vājapeya and Aśvamedha.