Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

एकांतरोपवासैश्च यो नयेद्द्विजसत्तमाः । चतुरो वार्षिकान्मासान्वैकुंठे स सदा वसेत्

Transliteration

ekāṃtaropavāsaiśca yo nayeddvijasattamāḥ | caturo vārṣikānmāsānvaikuṃṭhe sa sadā vaset

Translation

हे द्विजश्रेष्ठा! जो चार महिने एकांतर उपवास करून व्रत पाळतो, तो सदैव वैकुंठात वास करतो।

Word by Word

• ekāntara-upavāsaiḥ: by alternate-day fasts
• ekāntara-upavāsaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka + antara + upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘एकान्तर-उपवास’ = एकदिनान्तर-उपवासः (m., instr., pl.)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (m., nom., sg.)

• nayet: should observe/should spend (time)
• nayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nī (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (opt., 3rd sg.)

• dvijasattamāḥ: the best of twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijasattamāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे अपि पाठान्तरं सम्भवति, अत्र कर्मरूपेण (m., acc., pl.)

• caturo: four
• caturo: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (m., acc., pl.)

• vārṣikān: annual (yearly)
• vārṣikān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vārṣika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (m., acc., pl.)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (m., acc., pl.)

• vaikuṇṭhe: in Vaikuṇṭha
• vaikuṇṭhe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaikuṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन (m., loc., sg.)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (m., nom., sg.)

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

• vaset: should dwell
• vaset: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (opt., 3rd sg.)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattama (addressed brāhmaṇa/elite listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in a tīrtha-āśrama setting keeps alternate-day fasting through the rainy-season months, offering tulasī and lamps to Viṣṇu; a luminous Vaikuṇṭha vision appears as the promised fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Vaikuṇṭha
• Upavāsa (fasting)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained austerity performed as a seasonal vow is elevated from mere self-denial to a direct path toward Viṣṇu’s abode (Vaikuṇṭha).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vow-fruits teaching is delivered within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya context under Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe ekāṃtara-upavāsa (fasting every other day) for the four-month sacred period (Cāturmāsya), with the promised fruit of residence in Vaikuṇṭha.