Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

रात्रौ जागरणं कृत्वा शुद्धो भवति जाह्नवि । यत्त्वं लोककृतं कर्म मन्यसे भुवि दुःसहम्

Transliteration

rātrau jāgaraṇaṃ kṛtvā śuddho bhavati jāhnavi | yattvaṃ lokakṛtaṃ karma manyase bhuvi duḥsaham

Translation

โอ้ชาหฺนวี (คงคา) ผู้ใดทำการตื่นเฝ้าตลอดราตรี ย่อมบังเกิดความบริสุทธิ์ กรรมนั้นซึ่งท่านเห็นว่าเป็นกิจของโลกและยากจะทนทาน…

Word by Word

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्

• जागरणम्: wakefulness/vigil
• जागरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम्

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया

• शुद्धः: pure
• शुद्धः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying implied ‘he’)

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• जाह्नवि: O Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचनम्

• यत्: which/that (thing)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्

• लोक-कृतम्: done by people/worldly
• लोक-कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृ-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोकैः कृतम्/लोकस्य कृतम्); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्

• कर्म: deed/action
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचनम्

• मन्यसे: you think/consider
• मन्यसे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), मध्यमपुरुषः (2nd), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• भुवि: on earth/in the world
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक: भुव्/भू)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्

• दुःसहम्: hard to endure
• दुःसहम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःसह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying कर्म)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced; direct address to Jāhnavī/Gaṅgā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgāvāhaka (contextual tīrtha)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims remain awake on a riverbank at night with lamps; a calm river reflects moonlight; the sanctity of Gaṅgā is invoked as an unseen presence blessing the vigil.

Characters & Entities

• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Jāgaraṇa (night vigil)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity joined to devotion—such as night-long vigil—functions as a purifier, complementing tīrtha-bathing and worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate context remains Śaṅkhoddhāra-tīrtha within Revā Khaṇḍa, while invoking Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī) as a sacred presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform rātri-jāgaraṇa (night vigil) as part of the observance to become śuddha (purified).