Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

ऊर्ज्जे यवान्नमश्नीयादेकान्नमथवा पुनः । वृन्ताकं सूरणं चैव शूकशिंबीं च वर्जयेत्

Transliteration

ūrjje yavānnamaśnīyādekānnamathavā punaḥ | vṛntākaṃ sūraṇaṃ caiva śūkaśiṃbīṃ ca varjayet

Translation

ในฤดู/เดือนอูรชะ คือการ์ตติกะ พึงฉันอาหารจากข้าวบาร์เลย์ หรือไม่ก็ฉันเพียงมื้อเดียวต่อวัน และพึงเว้นมะเขือยาว เผือกช้าง (สุรณะ) และถั่วที่อยู่ในฝัก

Word by Word

• ūrjje: in Ūrja (Kārttika month)
• ūrjje: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrjja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (in the month Ūrja = Kārttika)

• yava-annam: barley-food
• yava-annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yava (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘barley’ + ‘food’); भक्षण-कर्म

• aśnīyāt: should eat
• aśnīyāt: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (अश् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विधि ‘should eat’

• eka-annam: one meal (single food)
• eka-annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘single’ + ‘meal/food’); विकल्पे

• athavā: or
• athavā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: athavā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• punaḥ: again/alternatively
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरुक्ति/पुनरर्थ (adverb: again/alternatively)

• vṛntākam: eggplant
• vṛntākam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛntāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; वर्ज्य-वस्तु

• sūraṇam: elephant-foot yam
• sūraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; वर्ज्य-वस्तु

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphasis)

• śūka-śiṃbīm: śūka-bean/pod (a kind of legume)
• śūka-śiṃbīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūka (प्रातिपदिक) + śiṃbī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (determinative; a kind of pod/bean associated with ‘śūka’); वर्ज्य-वस्तु

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• varjayet: should avoid
• varjayet: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛj/varj (वर्ज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; निषेधविधि ‘should avoid’

Speaker

Deductive: a Purāṇic narrator/teacher within Brahmakhaṇḍa (speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vrata-observer in simple attire eats a modest barley meal once a day; nearby, forbidden vegetables are set aside; a Kārttika lamp and prayer beads indicate ongoing observance.

Characters & Entities

• Ūrja (Kārttika)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vrata is embodied discipline: regulating food in sacred time trains restraint and supports devotional focus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse focuses on Kārttika/Ūrja observance rules.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During Ūrja (Kārttika), eat barley-based food or keep a single-meal regimen, and avoid eggplant, elephant-foot yam, and podded legumes.