Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

तावद्गर्जंति पापानि नरकास्तावदेव हि । तावन्मायासहस्राणि यावन्मासो पवासकः

Transliteration

tāvadgarjaṃti pāpāni narakāstāvadeva hi | tāvanmāyāsahasrāṇi yāvanmāso pavāsakaḥ

Translation

പാപങ്ങൾ അത്രകാലം മാത്രമേ ഗർജിക്കൂ; നരകങ്ങളും അത്രകാലം തന്നെ—നിശ്ചയം. അതുപോലെ ഉപവാസമാസം നിലനിൽക്കുന്നത്രകാലം മാത്രമേ ആയിരം മായാഭ്രമങ്ങളും നിലനിൽക്കൂ।

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long, to that extent
• तावत्: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि-निर्देशक, correl. with यावत्)

• गर्जन्ति: roar
• गर्जन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन (nominative plural)

• नरकाः: hells
• नरकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन (nominative plural)

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• हि: for, indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (reason/assurance)

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb)

• मायासहस्राणि: thousands of illusions
• मायासहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मायानां सहस्राणि) (neuter nom/acc pl)

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि-निर्देशक, correl. with तावत्)

• मासः: month
• मासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (nominative singular)

• पवासकः: (one that is) for fasting / fasting-related
• पवासकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पवासक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (nom sg adjective)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in vrata austerity; personified sins as roaring beasts and hells as dark gates recede as a lunar month progresses; māyā as a veil tears apart at the vrata’s completion.

Characters & Entities

• Naraka
• Upavāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disciplined fasting breaks the momentum of sin, fear, and delusion; their power lasts only until the vow is fulfilled.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The shloka glorifies the purifying power of vow-time (a fasting month) within the chapter’s tīrtha-centered discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A month-long upavāsa/abstinence discipline is implied as a practice that weakens sin and māyā.