Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

यस्तु कार्तिकिकं मासमुपवासैः समापयेत् । अप्यब्दमपि तेनेह भवेत्सम्यगुपोषितम्

Transliteration

yastu kārtikikaṃ māsamupavāsaiḥ samāpayet | apyabdamapi teneha bhavetsamyagupoṣitam

Translation

യാരെങ്കിലും കാർത്തികമാസം ഉപവാസങ്ങളോടെ സമ്യകമായി സമാപിപ്പിക്കുന്നുവോ, അവനാൽ ഇവിടെ തന്നേ ഒരു മുഴുവൻ വർഷം ശരിയായി ഉപവാസം അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചതായി കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• कार्तिकिकम्: (the) Kārtika (month)
• कार्तिकिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्तिकिक (प्रातिपदिक; कार्तिक-सम्बन्धी)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• मासम्: month
• मासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• उपवासैः: by fasts
• उपवासैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• समापयेत्: should complete/observe to completion
• समापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; हेतुमदर्थे (causative sense: 'cause to complete')

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि=even/also

• अब्दम्: a year
• अब्दम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि=even/also

• तेन: by that (observance)
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अन्वादेश-सर्वनाम

• इह: here (in this world)
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• भवेत्: would be/should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• उपोषितम्: (as) duly fasted/observed fasting
• उपोषितम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-वास् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (Past Passive Participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (context of Kārtika/Ūrja observance)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāśī pilgrim-votary completes the Kārtika month with disciplined fasting near Gaṅgā-ghāṭas, lamps glowing at dusk, priests reciting, the city’s temples silhouetted.

Characters & Entities

• Kārtika

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kārtika is exceptionally potent; sustained fasting in this month is credited with multiplied, year-equivalent merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Kāśī Khaṇḍa tradition (Kashi), while the verse directly glorifies the Kārtika month observance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Complete the Kārtika month with upavāsa (fasting/abstinence).