Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

चातुर्मास्ये प्रयत्नेन देयं वित्तानुसारतः । सर्वदानानि विप्रेभ्यो ददत्सुप्ते जगद्गुरौ

Transliteration

cāturmāsye prayatnena deyaṃ vittānusārataḥ | sarvadānāni viprebhyo dadatsupte jagadgurau

Translation

ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ സ്വന്തം ശേഷിയനുസരിച്ച് പരിശ്രമത്തോടെ ദാനം നൽകണം. ജഗദ്ഗുരു (വിഷ്ണു) യോഗനിദ്രയിൽ ഇരിക്കുമ്പോൾ ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കു സർവ്വവിധ ദാനങ്ങൾ നൽകി—

Word by Word

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (locative singular; time)

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (instrumental singular)

• देयम्: to be given / should be given
• देयम्: क्रिया-विशेषण (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + यत् (कृत्) → देय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम्; विधेय-विशेषणम्; भावे/कर्तरि ‘to be given’ (gerundive)

• वित्तानुसारतः: according to one’s wealth
• वित्तानुसारतः: सम्बन्ध (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वित्त-अनुसार (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्तम् (adverb: ‘according to’)

• सर्वदानानि: all gifts/charities
• सर्वदानानि: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् (neuter nom/acc pl)

• विप्रेभ्यः: to the brāhmaṇas
• विप्रेभ्यः: सम्प्रदान (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः बहुवचनम् (dative plural)

• ददत्: (one) giving
• ददत्: कर्ता (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्तं वर्तमान-कृदन्तम्; पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः एकवचनम्; ‘giving’ (present active participle)

• सुप्ते: while (he) is asleep
• सुप्ते: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुप्त (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी-विभक्तिः एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तम्; ‘when (he) is asleep’ (locative absolute with जगद्गुरौ)

• जगद्गुरौ: when the Jagadguru (Lord) is asleep
• जगद्गुरौ: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत्-गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (locative singular; in/with regard to Jagadguru)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu reclines on Ananta in yoga-nidrā (Jagadguru asleep); in the foreground, pilgrims distribute varied gifts to brāhmaṇas with reverence during monsoon months.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
• Jagadguru (Viṣṇu)
• Yoga-nidrā (cosmic sleep)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred seasons demand sincere effort: give within your means, and let charity become a disciplined offering during Viṣṇu’s yoga-nidrā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not specify a location; it emphasizes the holy season (Cāturmāsya) within the broader tīrtha-mahātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dāna diligently during Cāturmāsya, giving various gifts to Brāhmaṇas according to one’s resources.