Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

आश्वयुक्कृष्णपक्षे तु चतुर्दश्यां महानिशि । धैर्यमालंब्य निर्भीकः स सिद्धिं प्राप्नुयान्नरः

Transliteration

āśvayukkṛṣṇapakṣe tu caturdaśyāṃ mahāniśi | dhairyamālaṃbya nirbhīkaḥ sa siddhiṃ prāpnuyānnaraḥ

Translation

В четырнадцатую ночь (чатурдаши) тёмной половины месяца Ашваюджа, в великую ночь, тот, кто опирается на стойкость и пребывает без страха, достигает сиддхи — духовного свершения.

Word by Word

• आश्वयुक्कृष्णपक्षे: in the dark fortnight of Āśvayuja
• आश्वयुक्कृष्णपक्षे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्वयुक्-कृष्णपक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समास: आश्वयुजः कृष्णः पक्षः (in the dark fortnight of Āśvayuja)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महानिशि: on the great night
• महानिशि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानिशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समास: महती च सा निशा (on the great night)

• धैर्यम्: steadfastness
• धैर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धैर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आलम्ब्य: having relied on
• आलम्ब्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-लम्ब् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerund), ‘having relied on/taken support of’

• निर्भीकः: fearless
• निर्भीकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्भीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘सः/नरः’)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सिद्धिम्: attainment
• सिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्नुयात्: would attain
• प्राप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (within Īśvara–Devī dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddheśvara (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī/Mahādevī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone pilgrim stands fearless in a lamp-lit shrine at Prabhāsa on the dark-fortnight fourteenth night, holding steady posture before a Śiva-liṅga as the sea-wind and temple bells mark the ‘great night’.

Characters & Entities

• Āśvayuja (month)
• Kṛṣṇapakṣa
• Caturdaśī
• Mahāniśā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Courageous steadiness in sacred observance—especially at potent calendrical moments—is celebrated as a gateway to accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Siddheśvara sacred setting in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where such night-practice is said to bear fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance on Āśvayuja kṛṣṇa caturdaśī at night, undertaken with firmness and fearlessness (implying night-japa/vrata in context).