Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

नक्तं समाचरेत्पोष्यैः सार्धं सुप्रीतमानसः । प्रातश्चतुर्थ्यां संभोज्य चतुरश्च कुमारकान्

Transliteration

naktaṃ samācaretpoṣyaiḥ sārdhaṃ suprītamānasaḥ | prātaścaturthyāṃ saṃbhojya caturaśca kumārakān

Translation

രാത്രിയിൽ സന്തോഷമനസ്സോടെ തന്റെ ആശ്രിതരോടൊപ്പം ഈ വ്രതം ആചരിക്കണം. തുടർന്ന് ചതുർത്ഥി തിഥിയുടെ പ്രഭാതത്തിൽ നാല് കുമാര ബാലന്മാർക്ക് ഭോജനം നൽകണം.

Word by Word

• नक्तम्: at night
• नक्तम्: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नक्तम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (time-adverb)

• समाचरेत्: should perform/observe
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पोष्यैः: with dependents/wards
• पोष्यैः: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पोष्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; 'with those to be nourished/dependents'

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (with/together)

• सुप्रीतमानसः: with a very pleased mind
• सुप्रीतमानसः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु+प्रीत + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (सुप्रीतं मानसं यस्य)

• प्रातः: in the morning
• प्रातः: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (in the morning)

• चतुर्थ्याम्: on the fourth (lunar day)
• चतुर्थ्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्थी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक

• संभोज्य: having fed/entertained
• संभोज्य: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+भुज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• चतुरः: four
• चतुरः: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• कुमारकान्: boys/young lads
• कुमारकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) to Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (vrata setting)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nighttime household/pilgrim camp in Kāśī with lamps; the observant person maintains the rite with family/dependents; at dawn of caturthī, four young boys are seated and served a sanctified meal.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāraka (boys)
• Caturthī tithi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vows should expand into care and nourishment of others; feeding the young becomes an embodied form of worship and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is situated in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa milieu; the verse itself is a vrata procedure rather than a tīrtha-stuti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Night observance (nakta) with dependents, followed by feeding four boys on the morning of Caturthī.