Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

त्र्यहं प्रातस्त्रयहं सायं त्र्यहमद्यादयाचितम् । त्र्यहं चोपवसेदंत्यं प्राजापत्यं चरन्द्विजः

Transliteration

tryahaṃ prātastrayahaṃ sāyaṃ tryahamadyādayācitam | tryahaṃ copavasedaṃtyaṃ prājāpatyaṃ carandvijaḥ

Translation

ദ്വിജൻ പ്രാജാപത്യവ്രതം ഇങ്ങനെ അനുഷ്ഠിക്കണം—മൂന്നു ദിവസം പ്രഭാതത്തിൽ മാത്രം ഭക്ഷണം, മൂന്നു ദിവസം സായാഹ്നത്തിൽ മാത്രം; മൂന്നു ദിവസം ചോദിക്കാതെ ലഭിച്ചതേ സ്വീകരിക്കുക; അവസാന മൂന്നു ദിവസം ഉപവാസം പാലിക്കുക।

Word by Word

• त्र्यहम्: for three days
• त्र्यहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; कालाधिकरणार्थे)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्र्यह (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + अहन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणवाचक (accusative of duration)

• प्रातः: in the morning
• प्रातः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण; काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• त्र्यहम्: for three days
• त्र्यहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; कालाधिकरणार्थे)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्र्यह (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + अहन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणवाचक

• सायम्: in the evening
• सायम्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण; काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सायम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• त्र्यहम्: for three days
• त्र्यहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; कालाधिकरणार्थे)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्र्यह (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + अहन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणवाचक

• अद्याद्: should eat
• अद्याद्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अयाचितम्: unasked-for (unsolicited)
• अयाचितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-याचित (कृदन्त; याच् धातु + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• त्र्यहम्: for three days
• त्र्यहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; कालाधिकरणार्थे)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्र्यह (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + अहन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणवाचक

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

• उपवसेत्: should fast
• उपवसेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-वास् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अन्त्यम्: the last (final)
• अन्त्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म; विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• प्राजापत्यम्: the Prājāpatya (penance)
• प्राजापत्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राजापत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; व्रतनाम (name of a penance)

• चरन्: practising/performing
• चरन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता; विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• द्विजः: a Brahmin (twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dvija ascetic in Kāśī follows a twelve-day regimen: first taking a small morning meal, then evening meal, then accepting unasked alms, finally fasting—seated near a ghat with prayerful composure.

Characters & Entities

• Prājāpatya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Discipline of appetite and humility (accepting what comes unasked) purify the mind and restore dharmic balance through regulated austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Kāśī in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where dharma and expiations are taught as part of the city’s sanctifying power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The Prājāpatya prāyaścitta: 3 days morning-only meals, 3 days evening-only meals, 3 days eating only unasked gifts, then 3 days fasting.