Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

कार्तिक्यां चैव वैशाख्यां मासमेकमुपोषयेत् । दैत्यसूदनमध्यस्थः सम्यक्छ्रद्धासमन्वितः

Transliteration

kārtikyāṃ caiva vaiśākhyāṃ māsamekamupoṣayet | daityasūdanamadhyasthaḥ samyakchraddhāsamanvitaḥ

Translation

कार्तिक व तसेच वैशाख या महिन्यांत एक पूर्ण महिना उपवास करावा—दैत्यसूदनाच्या सान्निध्यात राहून, सम्यक् श्रद्धायुक्त होऊन।

Word by Word

• कार्तिक्याम्: in (the month of) Kārtika
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārtikī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; मास-नाम (in Kārtika)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• एव: indeed
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• वैशाख्याम्: in (the month of) Vaiśākha
• वैशाख्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśākhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; मास-नाम (in Vaiśākha)

• मासम्: a month
• मासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• उपोषयेत्: should fast
• उपोषयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upavas (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; causative sense not intended—simple ‘should fast’

• दैत्यसूदनमध्यस्थः: standing in the midst of Daityasūdana (near Viṣṇu)
• दैत्यसूदनमध्यस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daitya-sūdana + madhya + stha (प्रातिपदिक; √sthā)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः ‘दैत्यसूदनस्य मध्ये स्थः’

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• श्रद्धासमन्वितः: endowed with faith
• श्रद्धासमन्वितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śraddhā + samanvita (प्रातिपदिक; सम्+√i + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः ‘श्रद्धया समन्वितः’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narration commonly via Sūta to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Daityasūdana-sannidhi)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined pilgrim residing near the Daityasūdana shrine through Kārttika/Vaiśākha, performing daily worship and sustained fasting; calendar motifs and seasonal cues mark the sacred month observance.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika
• Vaiśākha
• Daityasūdana (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful month-long austerity in sacred time (Kārttika/Vaiśākha) gains special potency when performed in Viṣṇu’s holy presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, implied as the place where Daityasūdana is present and vows bear amplified fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A month-long upavāsa (fasting/observance) in Kārttika or Vaiśākha, performed with śraddhā near Viṣṇu (Daityasūdana).