Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

तां चानंगवतीनाम्नी वेश्येयं धर्मसंयुता । जागर्त्ति परमं श्रेयः शिवरात्रिव्रतं शुभम्

Transliteration

tāṃ cānaṃgavatīnāmnī veśyeyaṃ dharmasaṃyutā | jāgartti paramaṃ śreyaḥ śivarātrivrataṃ śubham

Translation

Dan dia ialah seorang pelacur suci bernama Anaṅgavatī, berpegang pada dharma. Dengan berjaga malam, dia meniti kebajikan tertinggi melalui nazar Śivarātri yang penuh berkat.

Word by Word

• tām: her
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• anaṅgavatī-nāmnī: by the name ‘Anaṅgavatī’
• anaṅgavatī-nāmnī: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anaṅgavatī (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — अनङ्गवती इति नाम्ना (by the name Anaṅgavatī)

• veśyā: courtesan
• veśyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• iyam: this
• iyam: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dharma-saṃyutā: endowed with righteousness
• dharma-saṃyutā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √yuj)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — धर्मेण संयुता (endowed with dharma)

• jāgartti: keeps vigil, stays awake
• jāgartti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jāgar (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• śreyaḥ: welfare, highest good
• śreyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (form: śreyaḥ); कर्मपद

• śiva-rātri-vratam: the vow of Śivarātri
• śiva-rātri-vratam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + rātri (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — शिवरात्रेः व्रतम्

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (śivarātrivratam)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator quoting an unnamed respondent

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rudreśvara (Vṛddhaliṅga) at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munipuṅgava-s (outer audience); immediate respondent is the unnamed explainer

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The explainer identifies the woman as Anaṅgavatī, a courtesan yet dharma-possessed, keeping vigil for the auspicious Śivarātri vow to attain the highest good.

Characters & Entities

• Anaṅgavatī
• Śivarātri-vrata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is measured by practice and sincerity; Śivarātri-vrata elevates the devotee toward the highest good.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s Rudreśvara liṅga-shrine, where Anaṅgavatī performs the vigil.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śivarātri-vrata with jāgaraṇa (night-long wakefulness) as a central discipline.