Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 109

Devanagari script

आगतः कार्तिकीं कर्त्तुं देवे दामोदरे ततः । ऋग्यजुःसामसंयुक्तैर्ब्राह्मणैर्ब्रह्मवित्तमैः

Transliteration

āgataḥ kārtikīṃ karttuṃ deve dāmodare tataḥ | ṛgyajuḥsāmasaṃyuktairbrāhmaṇairbrahmavittamaiḥ

Translation

തുടർന്ന് അവൻ ദേവ ദാമോദരന്റെ സന്നിധിയിൽ കാർത്തികീ വ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കാൻ വന്നു; ഋഗ്-യജുഃ-സാമവേദങ്ങളിൽ നിപുണരും ബ്രഹ്മവിദ്യയിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠരുമായ ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാരോടുകൂടെ।

Word by Word

• āgataḥ: having come; arrived
• āgataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā- (उपसर्ग) + gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kārtikīm: the Kārtikī (rite/observance)
• kārtikīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārtikī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• kartum: to do; to perform
• kartum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive)

• deve: in/at the god (temple)
• deve: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• dāmodare: at Dāmodara (Viṣṇu)
• dāmodare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāmodara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Hetu/Apadana (From/thereafter)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb)

• ṛk: Ṛg (Veda)
• ṛk: Compound-member
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• yajuḥ: Yajus (Veda)
• yajuḥ: Compound-member
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• sāma: Sāma (Veda)
• sāma: Compound-member
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• saṃyuktaiḥ: endowed/associated (with)
• saṃyuktaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam- (उपसर्ग) + yukta (प्रातिपदिक; √yuj धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (brāhmaṇaiḥ)

• brāhmaṇaiḥ: by/with Brahmins
• brāhmaṇaiḥ: Sahakari/Karana (Accompaniment/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• brahmavittamaiḥ: with the best knowers of Brahman
• brahmavittamaiḥ: Sahakari/Karana (Qualifier of instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + vittama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (brāhmaṇaiḥ); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणः वित्तमाः = ब्रह्मविदां उत्तमाः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; continuing narrative in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dāmodara-sthāna at Vastrāpathakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (contextual frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-leader arrives for Kārtikī at Dāmodara’s temple with a procession of Vedic brāhmaṇas carrying palm-leaf texts and ritual implements; evening lamps are prepared for the vow.

Characters & Entities

• Kārtikī (Kartika observance)
• Dāmodara
• Brāhmaṇas
• Ṛgveda
• Yajurveda
• Sāmaveda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seasonal observances like Kārtikī become especially potent when performed at a sanctified deity-site with learned guidance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dāmodara deity-site within Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing the Kārtikī observance (Kartika-month vrata/rite) at Dāmodara.