Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

चतुरो वार्षिकान्मासानेकभक्तेन यो नयेत् । वासुदेवं समुद्दिश्य स धनी जायते नरः

Transliteration

caturo vārṣikānmāsānekabhaktena yo nayet | vāsudevaṃ samuddiśya sa dhanī jāyate naraḥ

Translation

വാസുദേവനെ ഉദ്ദേശിച്ച് വർഷാകാലത്തിലെ നാല് മാസങ്ങൾ ‘ഏകഭക്ത’ (ദിവസത്തിൽ ഒരിക്കൽ മാത്രം ഭക്ഷണം) നിയമത്തോടെ കഴിക്കുന്നവൻ ധനവാനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• caturo: four
• caturo: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (m., acc., pl.)

• vārṣikān: annual (yearly)
• vārṣikān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vārṣika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (m., acc., pl.)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन (m., acc., pl.)

• ekabhaktena: with single-meal observance
• ekabhaktena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka + bhakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘एकभक्त’ = एकवारभोजनम् (n., instr., sg.)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (m., nom., sg.)

• nayet: should observe/should spend (time)
• nayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nī (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (opt., 3rd sg.)

• vāsudevam: Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)
• vāsudevam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsudeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन (m., acc., sg.)

• samuddiśya: having dedicated (to)
• samuddiśya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ud-diś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘समुद्दिश्य’ = उद्दिश्य/समर्प्य (having dedicated/with reference to)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (m., nom., sg.)

• dhanī: wealthy
• dhanī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhanin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (m., nom., sg.)

• jāyate: is born/becomes
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (pres., 3rd sg.)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन (m., nom., sg.)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (assembled sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee observes ekabhakta through the four monsoon months, offering the discipline to Vāsudeva; the scene alternates between simple daily meal and temple worship, culminating in blessings of prosperity.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)
• Cāturmāsya (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moderation in food as a devotional offering to Vāsudeva, sustained through sacred time, is praised as dharma that harmonizes spiritual intent with worldly stability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vow teaching is situated within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative context of Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe eka-bhakta (one meal daily) for four months, explicitly dedicating the practice to Vāsudeva.