Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

मासि मासि यदाप्येत व्रताच्चांद्रायणात्फलम् । अन्यत्र तदिहाप्येत भूतायां नक्तभोजनात्

Transliteration

māsi māsi yadāpyeta vratāccāṃdrāyaṇātphalam | anyatra tadihāpyeta bhūtāyāṃ naktabhojanāt

Translation

ผลบุญใดที่ที่อื่นได้มาเดือนแล้วเดือนเล่าด้วยพรตจันทรายณะ—ที่นี่ในเดือนภูตา (ภัทรปท) ได้ผลเดียวกันเพียงด้วยการฉันอาหารยามค่ำคืน

Word by Word

• मासि: in a month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मासि: month by month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (each month)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि-भाव (even/also)

• एत: may come/occur
• एत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु) → एत् (लोट्/विधिलिङ्-आदेशरूप; here as optative base)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; √इ (to go/come)

• व्रतात्: from a vow
• व्रतात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• चन्द्रायणात्: from the Cāndrāyaṇa rite
• चन्द्रायणात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/प्रकरणवाचक अव्यय (elsewhere)

• तत्: that (same)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (here)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि-भाव (also/even)

• एत: may come/occur
• एत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु) → एत्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• भूतायाम्: when (night) has come
• भूतायाम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘(रात्रिः) भूतायाम्’ = when night has come

• नक्तभोजनात्: from eating at night
• नक्तभोजनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्त + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—नक्तं भोजनम् (सप्तमी/अव्ययीभाव-भावार्थे; here treated as तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta) in Bhādrapada (Bhūtā-māsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night in Kāśī: lamps along ghāṭas, a devotee takes a simple meal after evening worship; above, a subtle celestial scale motif indicating ‘Cāndrāyaṇa fruit’ attained through naktabhojana in Bhādrapada.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Cāndrāyaṇa-vrata
• Bhūtā (month)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī amplifies spiritual practices: simpler observances there can yield results equal to rigorous vows performed elsewhere.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is praised as a merit-multiplying kṣetra where vratas become especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nakta-bhojana (taking food only at night) during the month called Bhūtā, said to match the fruit of Cāndrāyaṇa performed elsewhere.