Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 141

Devanagari script

हरकेशवयोः स्नान्ति जागरे यान्ति संक्षयम् । यावन्तो निमिषा नृणां भवन्ति निशि जाग्रताम्

Transliteration

harakeśavayoḥ snānti jāgare yānti saṃkṣayam | yāvanto nimiṣā nṛṇāṃ bhavanti niśi jāgratām

Translation

ജാഗരണത്തിൽ ഹര-കേശവബന്ധപ്പെട്ട പാപങ്ങൾ കഴുകിപ്പോകുകയും ക്ഷയിച്ച് നശിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. മനുഷ്യർ രാത്രിയിൽ എത്ര എത്ര നിമിഷങ്ങൾ ജാഗരിതരായി ഇരിക്കുമോ—

Word by Word

• hara-keśavayoḥ: of Hara and Keśava
• hara-keśavayoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक) + keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: Dvandva (इतरेतर), Dual base; Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Dual

• snānti: bathe
• snānti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Plural

• jāgare: in the night-vigil
• jāgare: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (usage), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; 'in the vigil'

• yānti: go/attain
• yānti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Plural

• saṃkṣayam: destruction/cessation
• saṃkṣayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• yāvantaḥ: as many as
• yāvantaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; viśeṣaṇa of 'nimiṣāḥ' (by sense: 'as many as')

• nimiṣāḥ: moments (blinks)
• nimiṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• nṛṇām: of men/people
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• bhavanti: are/become
• bhavanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Plural

• niśi: at night
• niśi: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• jāgratām: of those who keep awake
• jāgratām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgrat (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Present participle used as noun; Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

Speaker

Narrator (within Revākhaṇḍa; likely Sūta-style narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (king) addressed in the latter half; verse also continues the prior address context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A long night vigil: devotees seated in rows, alternating between listening and meditation; a visual rhythm of 'moments' marked by lamp flames and bell strokes; Śiva and Viṣṇu emblems together.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)
• Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• jāgaraṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wakeful devotion is portrayed as a purifier, and reverence to Hara and Keśava reflects an inclusive, dharmic vision.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is vrata-centric and not tied to one named location, though it belongs to the Revākhaṇḍa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe night-long vigil (jāgaraṇa); the teaching links each waking moment with the destruction of sins.