Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

उपोष्य जागरं कुर्याद्गीतवाद्यं विशेषतः । एवं कृते महीपाल न भवेदुग्रदुःखभाक्

Transliteration

upoṣya jāgaraṃ kuryādgītavādyaṃ viśeṣataḥ | evaṃ kṛte mahīpāla na bhavedugraduḥkhabhāk

Translation

ഉപവാസം അനുഷ്ഠിച്ച് രാത്രിജാഗരണം ചെയ്യണം, പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ഭജനഗാനവും വാദ്യസേവയും സഹിതം. ഇങ്ങനെ ചെയ്താൽ, ഹേ മഹീപാലാ, ഭീകരദുഃഖത്തിന്റെ ഭാഗഭാക്കാകുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• upoṣya: having fasted
• upoṣya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वकाले क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upavas (उपवस् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund) with उपसर्ग 'उप' (upa-), 'having fasted'

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

• kuryāt: should do/perform
• kuryāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• gīta-vādyam: singing and instrumental music
• gīta-vādyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gīta (प्रातिपदिक) + vādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (gītaṃ ca vādyaṃ ca)

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (adverb)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb: 'thus')

• kṛte: when (it is) done
• kṛte: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-क्त (past passive participle) used locative absolute; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन ('when this is done')

• mahīpāla: O king
• mahīpāla: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (mahīyāḥ pālaḥ)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ugra-duḥkha-bhāk: a sharer of terrible sorrow
• ugra-duḥkha-bhāk: Kartṛ-predicative (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ugra (प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāj (भाज् धातु/प्रातिपदिक 'bhāk')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः: 'ugraṃ duḥkhaṃ bhajate' → 'bhāk' (partaker)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual, advising Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīra (vrata-jāgaraṇa)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (mahīpāla)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night at the riverbank: devotees seated around lamps, singing with cymbals and drums; the altar glows; the king participates in vigil, fasting, attentive and calm.

Characters & Entities

• Mahīpāla (the king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Discipline (fasting) joined with devotion (vigil, song, music) transforms karmic burden and protects the devotee from intense grief.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is framed within Revā Khaṇḍa’s pilgrimage ethos centered on the Narmadā region, where vrata-observance supports tīrtha merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform upavāsa (fasting) and jāgaraṇa (night vigil), accompanied especially by gīta-vādya (devotional singing and instruments).