Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तप एतत्सदा कार्यं चातुर्मास्ये महाफलम् । पर्वकालेषु सर्वेषु दानं देयं तपः सदा । चातुर्मास्ये विशेषेण तदनंतं प्रजायते

Transliteration

tapa etatsadā kāryaṃ cāturmāsye mahāphalam | parvakāleṣu sarveṣu dānaṃ deyaṃ tapaḥ sadā | cāturmāsye viśeṣeṇa tadanaṃtaṃ prajāyate

Translation

ഈ തപസ്സ് നിത്യവും ആചരിക്കണം; ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ അതിന് മഹാഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു। എല്ലാ പർവ്വകാലങ്ങളിലും ദാനം നൽകുകയും തപസ്സ് നിലനിർത്തുകയും വേണം; പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ അതിന്റെ പുണ്യം അനന്തമാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम्

• कार्यम्: to be performed
• कार्यम्: Vidheyavishesana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (कृदन्त; कृ+ण्यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्तः (gerundive: ‘to be done’)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (time-period)

• महाफलम्: of great fruit
• महाफलम्: Vidheyavishesana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा-फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः/एतत्)

• पर्वकालेषु: at festival/holy times
• पर्वकालेषु: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्व-काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अधिकरणम् (time)

• सर्वेषु: in all
• सर्वेषु: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (पर्वकालेषु)

• दानम्: gift, charity
• दानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• देयम्: should be given
• देयम्: Vidheyavishesana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देय (कृदन्त; दा+ण्यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्तः (gerundive: ‘to be given’)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम्

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरणम्

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावे (instrumental used adverbially: ‘especially’)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देश (refers to preceding practice/fruit)

• अनन्तम्: endless, infinite
• अनन्तम्: Vidheyavishesana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तत्)

• प्रजायते: arises, comes to be
• प्रजायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāturmāsya-kāla (seasonal sacred observance)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims and householders observing Cāturmāsya: simple meals, japa, and charity distribution on a festival day; monks/ascetics nearby, rainy-season ambience.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Dāna
• Tapaḥ
• Parva (festival times)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seasonal discipline (Cāturmāsya) intensifies spiritual merit, especially when paired with charity and steady austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse glorifies the sacred season (Cāturmāsya) rather than a named geographical tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Maintain tapas regularly; give dāna at all festival-times; observe Cāturmāsya with special rigor for ‘endless’ merit.