Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तस्माद्वर्षव्रतं त्यक्त्वा किंचिदेकाह्निकं वद

Transliteration

tasmādvarṣavrataṃ tyaktvā kiṃcidekāhnikaṃ vada

Translation

तस्माद्वर्षव्रतं त्यक्त्वा किंचिदेकाह्निकं वद।

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that (reason)
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-रूपेण प्रयुक्तम् (ablative used adverbially: ‘therefore/from that’)

• वर्षव्रतम्: a year-long vow
• वर्षव्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष-व्रत (प्रातिपदिक); वर्ष + व्रत
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• त्यक्त्वा: having given up
• त्यक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्यज् (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाव-रूप (gerund/absolutive): ‘having abandoned’

• किंचित्: some, a certain
• किंचित्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (to ‘ekāhnikaṃ’)

• एकाह्निकम्: a one-day observance
• एकाह्निकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक-अह्निक (प्रातिपदिक); एक + अह्निक
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Aśvasena

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A petitioner respectfully addresses a king/sage, requesting a concise one-day observance instead of a demanding year-long vow; the setting suggests a pilgrimage assembly or courtly-satvic discourse.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvasena

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma should match one’s capacity; concise vows can still be spiritually potent.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request to prescribe an ekāhnika (one-day) vrata instead of a varṣavrata (year-long vow).