Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

उपोष्य जागरं कुर्याद्गीतवाद्यं हरेः पुरः । कथां वा वैष्णवीं कुर्याद्दंभक्रोधविवर्जितः

Transliteration

upoṣya jāgaraṃ kuryādgītavādyaṃ hareḥ puraḥ | kathāṃ vā vaiṣṇavīṃ kuryāddaṃbhakrodhavivarjitaḥ

Translation

ഉപവാസം അനുഷ്ഠിച്ച് ജാഗരണം പാലിക്കണം; ഹരിയുടെ സന്നിധിയിൽ ഗീതവും വാദ്യവും ചേർത്ത് കീർത്തനം ചെയ്യണം; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ദംഭവും ക്രോധവും വിട്ട് വൈഷ്ണവകഥ പാരായണം ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• उपोष्य: having fasted
• उपोष्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-वास् (धातु) → उपोष्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाले (prior action), अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणम्

• जागरम्: night-vigil
• जागरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• गीतवाद्यम्: singing and instrumental music
• गीतवाद्यम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गीत (प्रातिपदिक) + वाद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (song and instrumental music)

• हरेः: of Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• पुरः: in front (of)
• पुरः: Adhikaraṇa (Locative setting)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक (locative adverb)

• कथाम्: a story/discourse
• कथाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• वैष्णवीम्: Vaiṣṇava (related to Viṣṇu)
• वैष्णवीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying कथाम्)

• कुर्यात्: should do/perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• दंभक्रोधविवर्जितः: free from hypocrisy and anger
• दंभक्रोधविवर्जितः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दंभ (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जित (कृदन्त; वि-√वृज्/वर्ज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थक-तत्पुरुषसमासः (दंभ-क्रोधयोः विवर्जितः = free from hypocrisy and anger)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A night vigil before Hari: devotees fasting, seated with cymbals and vīṇā, lamps flickering, one reciting Vaiṣṇava kathā; faces calm, free of anger and show.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Vaiṣṇava-kathā
• jāgaraṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is perfected not only by ritual (fasting and vigil) but by inner discipline—rejecting hypocrisy and anger.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the focus is on worship ‘before Hari’ and the conduct of the devotee.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upavāsa (fasting), jāgaraṇa (night vigil), Hari-kīrtana (song/music), and Vaiṣṇava-kathā (recitation/discourse).