Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

चातुर्मास्ये विशेषेण सुप्ते देवे गुणोत्तरम् । महाव्रतमिदं लोके तन्निबोध सदा द्विज

Transliteration

cāturmāsye viśeṣeṇa supte deve guṇottaram | mahāvratamidaṃ loke tannibodha sadā dvija

Translation

ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ പ്രത്യേകിച്ച്—ദേവൻ ശയനത്തിലിരിക്കുന്നപ്പോൾ—ഈ വ്രതം അത്യന്തം പുണ്യവർദ്ധകമാണ്. ഹേ ദ്വിജ, അറിക: ലോകത്തിൽ ഇതിനെ മഹാവ്രതമെന്ന് പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (especially)

• सुप्ते: when (he is) asleep
• सुप्ते: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुप्त (कृदन्त, स्वप्-धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (देवे)

• देवे: in/when the god (Viṣṇu)
• देवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• गुणोत्तरम्: more meritorious, superior in qualities
• गुणोत्तरम्: Pradhana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गुणैः उत्तरम्/गुणेषु उत्तरम्)

• महाव्रतम्: the great vow
• महाव्रतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महत् व्रतम्)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (Demonstrative/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘महाव्रतम्’ इत्यस्य अन्वयः

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तत्: that (vow/teaching)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘निबोध’ इत्यस्य कर्म

• निबोध: understand, take note
• निबोध: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; नि-उपसर्ग

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• द्विज: O twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāturmāsya-kāla (sacred observance period)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija (explicitly addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Vaiṣṇava devotee marking Cāturmāsya: a sleeping Viṣṇu (Yoga-nidrā) icon on Śeṣa in a shrine panel, while devotees below take vows, offer tulasī and lamps; monsoon clouds suggest Śrāvaṇa.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Deva (Viṣṇu implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timing matters in Purāṇic dharma: Cāturmāsya intensifies the merit of vows, making them especially fruitful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific pilgrimage site is named in the verse; the focus is on the sacred season (Cāturmāsya) within the māhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe the ‘mahāvrata’ particularly during Cāturmāsya, the period described as the Lord’s sleep (supte deve).